Recruiters were suspicious of his perfect CV, so he added a 'bad review' front and center. Now his phone won't stop ringing

Sometimes honesty is really the best policy when it comes to building trust. Reddit user u/Mmira1995 shared how they impressed several hiring managers by being transparent about their career trajectory. One would think that recruiters would be impressed by a polished CV. However, that is not always the case. The author stated they were a graphic designer who had only "Perfect projects. Happy clients. Shiny mockups" on their portfolio. Even though they landed a few interviews, recruiters seemed to think they had something to hide behind their well-presented CV. So the OP decided to add some "honest" feedback from previous projects. The post received 6k upvotes in just seven days.

The author added an original project, including a screenshot of an email from the client where they hated the first draft. The client gave brutal feedback, writing, "This looks like a potato designed it," and "Are you even trying?" The author also added the second draft of the same project and the client's response, and finally added the completed product. Ever since they made that change to their CV, hiring managers would always bring up that project. 

They thought it was humorous, but also wanted to know how the person handled the situation. "I explain that I listened, didn't get defensive, and fixed it," they shared. One recruiter even told them that the majority of the CVs they went through felt like "emotionless highlight reels," but theirs felt like it belonged to a real person. The OP added a second "failure" to show how they could own up to their own mistakes and to share what they learned.

The graphic designer has a friend in HR who told them that people who hide their mistakes "make them look either fake or inexperienced with real clients." They concluded the post with the advice to everyone who is in the creative field not to be afraid of showing the blunders they have made in the past. "Turns out people want to hire someone who can fix problems, not someone who pretends problems never happen. Who knew," they wrote.

During the hiring process, hiring managers often look at the pros and cons of each applicant. While the OP encouraged job seekers not to be afraid of showing their past slip-ups, this does not mean every mistake will be overlooked and appreciated. A study done on 501 hiring managers by Adecco showed that hiring managers are three times more likely to give the job to someone who is 50 years old than to a Millennial.

This is because of a few common errors on the Millennials' part. 75% of the hiring managers reported that Millennials wore the wrong or inappropriate outfit to the interview, 70% reported that Millennials post improper content on social media. 62% of Millennial applicants often come to the interview with no knowledge of the company or the position, and 57% of hiring managers are "turned off" by a Millennial's overconfidence. In the end, it is not perfection, but the ability to learn from mistakes and interview etiquette that sets candidates apart.

Readers, most of them employers, shared the same thoughts as the OP. u/blakejp shared, "I've been interviewing candidates for a year and a half as my company grows. These are people who will be my colleagues, not my underlings. I can’t tell you how sick I am of being shown the highlight reel." 

u/JoefromOhio added, "It is field-specific, but it’s absolutely the right play. To take it more broadly, providing an example of how you took criticism, improved, and in the end delivered a good work product is exactly what interviewers want to hear. It’s why the canned interviews ask the 'tell me about when you had a difficult time with a coworker/manager/client' or 'what’s your greatest weakness.' They’re looking for you to present a situation and show how you fixed it."

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