8 most common CV mistakes
Following on from my previous post, I would like to share a few things myself and my colleagues reguarly see in CVs. Too many of these can put your CV immediately in the 'No' pile, which is rubbish! Especially when this could be easily avoidable by going through your CV with a fine tooth comb (or even asking a friend or family member to go through it for you!) So here's what you need to look out for...
1. Spelling and grammar mistakes. This is one of the most repetitive things I have read on CV tips advice, yet both myself and my colleagues see it nearly every day! If you have dyslexia, or something else that makes it a struggle to check spelling/grammar, ask a friend or family member to help you out. I’m sure they won’t mind, and it can make all the difference to your application.
2. Too many bullet points. People by nature, like to read stories and bullet points do not make good stories! They do have their place in a CV, but it should not make up the whole document.
3. Too long! A CV generally shouldn’t be more than 2 pages long (3 if you are including your cover letter in the same document as your CV – something I highly recommend). Focus on your last 10 years’ experience, anything prior to that keep it to the bare basics (Title, Company, and Dates of Employment)
4. No address/contact details. This is pretty self-explanatory – the amount of CVs I have had without email addresses, phone numbers, or the location of the person applying is insane. Why apply for a job if you don’t want anyone to contact you about it?
5. No cover letter. So important! It makes your CV stand out majorly, and can cover off all that extra information that doesn’t necessarily get included in your CV (e.g. if you are relocating, why you want to join the business you’re applying to, your story, what you are looking for out of your next job etc.)
6. Irrelevant experience. If the job is a Senior QA Analyst needing 5 years’ experience, and you are currently doing a job in a completely different industry and have never worked as a QA Analyst before - you won’t get the job. Why waste your time applying?
7. Too much information. The things I have read on peoples CVs range from mildly confusing to worrying. From eye and hair colour to marital status to what medication they are taking, these things are not going to affect your job application so they don’t need to be included. By including them you are taking up valuable space which can be used to describe your experience or why you think you are a good candidate for the job you are hiring for.
8. Too generic. When you apply to a company, they want to know a) why you want to work there, and b) why you think you are a good fit for that exact role. So many people miss a trick by writing one CV and sending it to every job they think they might remotely have a chance at getting. Much better to send two CVs and craft them for that exact job/company, than send 100 generic CVs/cover letters.
So there you have it. The things I see on a day to day basis that can easily be improved by checking and personalising your CV. If you want a third party to look over your CV, keep an eye on the blog in the coming months, as I will be offering a free CV review/re-write service to a select number of people 😄 Let me know if you are interested!
