CVs & Interviews

It doesn't matter how well you perform in an interview, if you get the opening handshake wrong it's all downhill from there - particularly if you are in line for for a senior position.

If you have had it with your job and there just doesn't seem to be anyway to fix the situation you're in, it might be time to get your resume in order. But since it may have been years since you last looked at it, what should you avoid?

It is still early in the new year and perhaps you have been given (or not given) your annual raise. But if you're planning on updating your resume and cover letter, there are some things you're better off not writing.

It's time, once again, to check in on the crazy things some people experience while interviewing people for a job.

Interviewing potential new employees can be a real pain and, sometimes, a total waste of time. But it can also be an endless source of entertainment – as this piece from Monster.com illustrates.

It's not only Northern Rock investors in the UK who should be worried about the global crunch on credit. Defaulting on a loan, mortgage or credit card can also seriously harm your chances of landing a new job.

Despite graduating from a top-10 UK university, Seb has yet to land a graduate job and is worried that his strategy is flawed. Carl Gilleard, boss of the Association of Graduate Recruiters, has some valuable advice.

Having to interview job candidates can be a real nightmare. You never know exactly who will come marching into your offices and managers often have to wade through a lot of dross to get to the buried treasure. Speaking of which, the Washingtonian.com has a list of interview horror stories that have to be read to be believed.

Just in case you needed reminding that having some harmless "little inaccuracies" on your résumé can backfire spectacularly, remember the name "Patrick Imbardelli".

A recent study by Monster.co.uk suggest that up to two-thirds of the British workforce lies or lied about job qualifications in their CVs.

A new U.S. survey by CareerBuilder.com has revealed what it calls the twelve wackiest résumé blunders that hiring managers have come across in their years of sifting job applications.

American workplaces could be a step closer to becoming like American Idol, with the majority of managers saying they would positively relish watching job applicants strutting their stuff on video before hiring them.

President Kennedy famously demanded his briefing papers should never be more than one page long. But the days of the single-page resume may be numbered as managers look to sort the wheat from the chaff.

U.S workers feel over-worked, unappreciated and underpaid, but for those thinking of looking for pastures new as a result, be prepared to be up against at least 50 other workers.

More than half of American hiring managers say they have caught out someone lying on their resume, with the vast majority marching that employee swiftly to the exit.

One in five Britons applying for jobs lies on their resume or CV, with some adding false qualifications, difficulties with previous jobs and even overlooking the fact they have a criminal record.

Spelling mistakes and orange juice stains on your application, offering bribes, bringing your recruiter to the interview – some job seekers really don't seem to get it when it comes to making a good impression.

Confidence in Briatin's financial services industry has taken another knock with the revelation that a quarter of all job applications to financial employers contain at least one major discrepancy.

More than a sixth of graduates applying for jobs would be prepared to cheat to get an advantage over their candidate competitors, a British survey has discovered.

Only a tiny proportion of European employers have any faith in the trustworthiness of academic qualifications, CVs and job application forms in determining on-the-job performance.

Employers in the UK are becoming increasingly wary of talking what job applicants claim at face value and are using up to seven different methods of checking up on their backgrounds and qualifications.

According to Mark Franchetti, the Sunday Times' man in Moscow, Russian employers are increasingly using the so-called 'stressovoye' — stressful interview — to help them hire the best staff.

Resumes or CVs have long been regarded as the cornerstone of employment recruitment, but according to new U.S research, they are dying a slow, painful death.

Most people going for a job interview will strive to be eager, motivated and upbeat. Most, but not all. In fact, some job seekers seem to go out of their way to rule themselves out of contention.

The vast majority of tools used to recruit workers fail completely to predict whether someone will be successful in a job, according to a study by British HR professionals.

The British jobs market is hampered by lazy and unimaginative recruitment methods, bad interviewing techniques and candidates failing to be completely truthful.

Your resume needs to be much more than your work history. Every title, phrase and verb you use causes a potential employer to make assumptions about you that either detract from, or add to, your image.

French President Jacques Chirac has backed the idea of anonymous job applications to beat entrenched racial discrimination against ethnic minorities.

Hiring engaged and motivated new employees is critical to the success of any organisation. And yet identifying these qualities often eludes managers during the selection process.

As the CEO of an NHS Trust admits faking qualifications to get his £115,000-a-year job, research suggests that almost four out of 10 employers have hired people who have lied in their job application.

First it was electonic CVs replacing paper, now, according to a study, online CVs are being replaced by web-based candidate profiles in one of the biggest changes to online recruitment in years.

Employers are being let down by the UK's employee vetting body the Criminal Records Bureau, with organisations being given information that is often inaccurate or out of date.

Fears of legal reprisals have rendered the traditional job reference almost worthless as more employers choose to say as little as possible about their departing staff - at least on paper.

A few years back, many people predicted that web portfolios would replace the CV / Resume as the main tool in the job-seekers armoury. It never happened.

A quarter of British employers withdrew at least one job offer in the past year after discovering a person had lied or otherwise misrepresented their application.

This month and next, hundreds of thousands of people will graduate from schools worldwide and want to enter the workforce. They'll be educated and enthusiastic, ready to make their mark on the world.

A UK recruiter has criticized the growing practice of attaching candidate photos to CVs. The practice, which is considered the norm in mainland Europe, is now rapidly spreading across the British recruitment industry.

All the leading business publications are pointing to a large hiring wave for 2005. With this in mind, it seems appropriate to highlight some points to make your hiring efforts successful.

The vast majority of company directors and senior managers believe it is wrong for their employees to lie to them. But almost half are comfortable with those same employees telling untruths on their behalf to their customers.

With thoughts already turning to the annual recruitment round in the New Year, an HR consultancy has uncovered its own list of top interview and application blunders.

Next year is likely to be a tough one for employers, who will be under pressure on pay and prices while at the same time finding it harder than ever to recruit the right people into vacant jobs.

New Year is traditionally one of the most popular times for people to look for a new job – and this New Year could be one of the best yet, according to recruiter Manpower.

Scanning the job ads may be the conventional way to find a new job, but if you really want to make that career move, getting out and meeting potential employers is the answer.

Interviewing is not something seasoned workers do everyday. And because our edge can get a little dull in this department, it is worth repeating these tips.

More than eight out of ten people dislike face-to-face job interviews and more than nine out of ten believe they under-perform in interview situations, according to a new survey.

The number of job applicants lying on their CVs rose significantly last year, with two-thirds submitting applications containing factual inaccuracies.

Many employers in the UK are undermining their chances of recruiting top talent by making a bad impression on potential employees during the recruitment process.

Eight out of ten job applicants admit to lying on their CV to secure a vacancy, with a similar proportion lying during a job interview, research has found.

As the economy grows and companies return to hiring instead of downsizing, it behooves us to pause and refresh ourselves on best practices in hiring.

A deluge of 'GradSpam' from unsuitable job applicants has been blamed for a massive slump in the use of the internet as a recruitment tool by employers.

Grad-spam is the latest corporate email scourge as tens of millions of unsolicited and unsuitable job applications clog up recruiters’ inboxes in a torrent that threatens to outdo the unwanted ads for Viagra and pornography sites.

New research suggests that recruiters are recognising the shortcomings of the interview processes and are changing their practices to ensure that interviews are as robust as possible.

Competency and psychometric testing are an established part of the recruitment process, but a new survey has revealed that many jobseekers are being put through increasingly bizarre tests by employers.

When a job seeker manages to make it through to the final stage of the application process they may be in for a mixed experience depending on where they apply, according to a new poll.

A report in today's Guardian reveals a novel approach being adopted by organisations keen to eradicate ageism from their recruitment processes.

Ferret racing, Samurai sword collecting and an interest in guns are among the more unusual hobbies that job seekers have listed on their CVs as ‘other interests’.

A survey for software outfit Corel has found that staff satisfaction and productivity can be boosted by allowing workers to structure their own day to ensure they perform tasks when they feel most creative. The under 25s, it seems, are particularly 'uncreative' in the morning. We wonder why . . .

Jobseekers should be careful about what they post on reunion website Friends Reunited because some employers are using it as a 'third reference', according to a London-based recruitment company.

More than half of CVs submitted by job applicants in 2002 contained lies or inaccuracies according to new research, a rise of 15 per cent over last 12 months.

It is often overlooked but the body language of the interviewer is important in setting the right tone for the discussion.