Top CV mistakes

There’s a lot of competition in today’s employment market, so you can’t afford to make any big mistakes during the application process. Discover the most common CV mistakes and how you can avoid them. You can put in a lot of hard work in crafting your CV, but it’s easy to make mistakes. This could cost your dream job. Avoid:

1. Poor formatting – CVs that aren’t clear and easy to read are a massive turn-off for employers. NCS (National Citizen Service) research shows that recruiters spend on average 8.8 seconds to review each CV they receive – which leaves you precious little time to make a good first impression. So keeping your CV concise is important. Avoid confusing layouts, and beware the use of too many fonts or font sizes. If your CV looks overloaded and messy you will have a slim chance of being successful.

2. Not tailoring your application – Everything that you include in your CV must be completely tailored to the company and role that you’re applying for. This makes it easier to show that you’re the perfect candidate. Don’t be afraid to remove irrelevant experiences. Check the job role specific requirements and tweak your CV accordingly.

3. Spelling errors – There are really no excuses for spelling mistakes. An error-free CV is vital to demonstrate precision and attention to detail. So check everything – even your contact details. Spellcheck and proofread your CV yourself before asking others to cast their critical eye over the document.

4. Lying – When you trying to impress potential employers, some find it tempting to avoid the telling the truth, because who’s going to check, right? Wrong. The facts on your CV are easy to check, so never assume that recruiters won’t make enquiries to do so.  At best, your lies will be obvious and your CV will be rejected. At worst, you may be invited for an interview where you’ll either trip yourself up or be asked questions that you’re unable to answer. Use your time to really sell the qualifications, skills and experience you do have instead making things up. It’s a wiser investment.

Avoid these 4 points, and invest time in revising your CV. Watch out for the second part of this article where we will reveal 3 more common CV mistakes that you need to avoid. It’s vital to avoid these mistakes. But knowing what to put on your CV to catch your employers attention is a whole different story. We offer a CV writing and optimisation service for anyone who wants to improve their CV, or write the perfect CV to stand out from the competition. Contact us at any time and we’ll be happy to help.