3 reasons that should not be on your C.V

So, many people's lives go in a particular direction: be born, go to school, get decent grades, attend more school, graduate, get a job, work, hopefully get a promotion … and who knows what comes after that.

I'm going to back up a bit to “get a job”. This is really important, because truth is, not everybody can or will become an entrepreneur. Some things are just inexcusable, though. They should not be anywhere near/on your CV.

1. Your religious Proclivities

Seriously??? Who has done this to Nigerians? This is really not funny. I don't understand why the phrase 'born again Christian' should be anywhere on a CV. If you're not interviewing for the role of a pastor, why do you think it is necessary? Attending church service 4X a week, speaking in tongues, prophesying, etc. are not achievements or transferable skills.

I remember last year, helping to recruit for a company. Let's just say the owner of the company, never discovered the existence of certain candidates. Those applications went straight into the bin. I have no problem with your serving any deity of your choosing; just do so on your own time. In my experience, people who make a huge show of their religion, are those who you don't want to hire – they are the ones who know that a company closes at 1700 hours for the day, but insist on taking off early, thrice a week: choir practice at 1500hours on Wednesdays, ushers' meeting at 1600hours on Tuesdays, and pastoral/Holy Ghost emergency summit at 1530hours on Mondays.

This is after they've made it clear that they will have two hours for lunch (everyone else has one hour), so that they can attend their church midday service, every day. If all you can offer, in the way of achievements and skills, are proof that you don't understand simple instructions, that is an indication that you will be a massive pain in the employer's backside.

2. Your political affiliation.

I thought this would be common sense. Unless you're trying to get a role on the campaign team of a political aspirant, this is unnecessary and counter-productive. As in #1 above, unless it is part of your job description, do your politics on your own time.

3. Lies. Half-truths. Lies.

This is tiring, confusing and all shades of irritating. There's having faith and there's having healthy self-esteem about your capabilities. Then, there's lying. I get confused, when people don't realise that a prospective employer will check out every claim they've made. Personally, the first thing I check – references. Yes, I will call them, I will email them, I will WhatsApp them … and if necessary, I will visit them. How can you not suspect this? Then, there are those who lie about their experience. and when you call them up on it, they say they “will do so, by god's grace”. Which brings us back to #1 above. I did say it was tiring, didn't I?