Monocle Columnist Andrew Tuck Asks Whether His 21-Year-Old CV Would Impress Today's Recruiters

In a Monocle weekend column, Andrew Tuck reflects on the increasingly competitive CVs of young job seekers and questions whether his own early work history would stand out. Tuck describes reviewing CVs from twenty-somethings with extensive global experiences, language skills, and volunteer work, and contrasts them with his own summer jobs: washing dishes (fired after one day for being too chatty), sorting returned toys at a factory, bartending in a theatre, waiting tables, and working in Liberty's fabric department. He also recounts meeting teenage relatives: a 16-year-old mathematics prodigy researching wave power at a prestigious university, and a gap-year student completing a business diploma "for fun." At a dinner in Hampstead, he learned of a sixth-form college encouraging weekly community service. Tuck admits he lacked notable hobbies, second-language proficiency, or volunteering experience at 21, but emphasizes the value of a strong cover letter. He concludes by acknowledging the effort young people invest in preparing for a tough job market and wonders if he would have been interviewed at 21.