Many skilled candidates miss out on good job opportunities because of mistakes they have made on their CV, so here are a number of points you should look at carefully:
Grammar and spelling
One of the key things you should always check once you have written your CV is for grammar and spelling errors. Be careful if you are using word as sometimes it may have an auto spell correct on that reverts to the American way.
There is nothing worse than an employer looking over your CV and seeing bad spelling and grammar. It basically raises questions over whether you can spell or communicate in good English or the lack of attention to detail and sloppiness in your presentation.
Writing as ‘the third person’
Your CV is a personal presentation of your experience and suitability to a job role so it should be written in the first person narrative.
Including photographs
Unless you are applying for a modeling job a photograph will not add any value to your CV at all. Space on your CV is limited so use it to write compelling content that will inspire the employer to invite you for an interview.
Including unnecessary information
The employer wants a potted history of your work life, appointments, experience and achievements to date. Your CV should be as brief as possible and not contain ‘fluffy’ information that will bear no residence to the job you are applying for. Typical unnecessary information includes ‘ramblings about your personal life, pets name, recent holidays, favourite sports team etc. The average length of a CV should be no more than 2 pages.
Not tailoring your CV to the target roles
When an employer reads your CV, they want to understand if you can do the job or not.
If your CV doesn’t include the skills and knowledge that your target employers are looking for, you won’t be shortlisted – no matter how well written and structured your CV is.
We suggest you research and find out exactly what your desired employers are looking for, and then make sure that you are making those requirements prominent on your CV.
Style and layout
Make sure your CV looks smart and professional. Appearance is the first thing a future employer will notice, so make sure its formatted well, is easy to navigate/read and avoid common mistakes such as crazy elaborate and coloured fonts, endless paragraphs of content, messy headings and images.
Exaggerating experience and job roles
Most employers who are vastly experienced at CV sifting and interviewing will quiz you about previous experience, job titles, responsibilities, employment dates, qualifications and the like so do not exaggerate or tell lies on your CV about any of this information. Never try and ‘blag’ an offer of employment as the truth will always come out, one way or the other.
Wild unproven claims
Use facts and real examples of your success to prove your value to employers, do not claim to be the ‘best salesman in the industry’ if you cant back it up. Claims like this are often impossible to prove and do not look very credible. If you have won awards then state them in a humble manner.
Not including enough information about your current position
Your current or most recent role is one of the most important factors to include in your CV as most recruiters will jump straight to it and study in some detail. The reason for this is that your current role gives recruiters the greatest indication of what you’re currently capable of.
You need to include the job title, an overview/outline of the role and a list of key responsibilities and where applicable achievements.
Ordering roles incorrectly
Always list roles in reverse chronological order so that you start with the current / most recent role at the top. These pointers are important for connections. Recruiters want to see what you are doing now and aren’t to bothered about reading too much into what you were doing 10 years ago.
If you would like help with your CV and sourcing a new position please call us on 0121 515 5910