Common Mistakes Jobseekers Make On Their CV And How To Avoid Them.

Are you ready to Land Your Dream Job?

Have you ever experienced the frustration of sending countless CVs without any response? 

It can be disheartening, causing you to question whether you'll ever get hired.

Suppose you're wondering what might be going wrong. In that case, it's essential to consider that many factors affecting your chances come down to your CV. 

Your CV is a critical element that can either make or break your job application.

Critical Elements of a CV.

A well-crafted CV (Curriculum Vitae) should include the following components:

1. Contact Information: Your address, phone number, email, LinkedIn url, Portfolio (for creatives)

 

2. Professional Summary: A brief overview of your skills, achievements and career goals.

3. Education: Your academic qualifications.

Work Experience: Details of your previous roles and responsibilities. 

Highly recommend you arrange it in bullet points, utilizing the STAR framework (Situation, Task Action, and Result). Show what you did, how you did it and the result it yielded. This gives your resume/Cv and clear and streamlined flow. 

4. Skills: Relevant competencies and abilities relevant to the role you're applying for. 

5. Achievements: Notable career accomplishments.

6. Certifications/ Trainings: Relevant Certifications and trainings you've undergone in your career journey.

7. Volunteer Experience: Any relevant volunteer work that's worth mentioning.

Many job seekers make critical mistakes on their CVs that can hinder their chances of getting hired. 

Here are ten common errors and straightforward ways to avoid them:

1. Grammatical Errors and Spelling Mistakes: 

You may have excellent skills for a job. Still, a minor oversight, like omitting "the" in your CV, could negatively impact your application. 

Spelling and grammatical errors on your CV are major red flags for employers and recruiters, as they can make you appear unprofessional. Common mistakes, such as spelling "acquare" instead of "acquire" or "recive" in place of "receive," can cause a recruiter to dismiss your CV in favour of others. 

Errors such as incorrect tense, missing punctuations, and poor sentence construction should be avoided.

Professional Tips 

1. Check and proofread your CV multiple times for any typo error
2. Use grammar or spelling-checking tools like Grammarly. 
3. Ask a professional to review your CV for any errors. 

2. Neglecting to Highlight Results and Achievements:

Many job seekers focus on listing their roles and responsibilities rather than detailing their achievements. 

Recruiters are interested in what you did and the impact you made in your roles. To make your CV stand out, you must emphasize your responsibilities and the results you achieved.

Professional Tips

1. Showcase Quantifiable Achievements: Include measurable results to demonstrate your impact. For example, instead of saying, "I increased the organization's sales to 10%," you could write: 
“Spearheaded an increase in the organization's revenue from 10% to 30%, through strategic and streamlined approach, even in the face of a rise in inflation.”
This shows what you did, how you did it, as well as the impact it made in the organization. 

3. Lack of Keywords:

Including relevant keywords in your CV is crucial, especially in today's digital job market. Many organizations use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to screen Cv's, and these systems rely on keywords to filter candidates. If you don't have the right keywords in your CV, it may not match the job requirements and could be overlooked.

Tips:

1. Research Job Descriptions: Analyze the job description and include relevant keywords in your CV.
2. Use Industry-Specific Terms: Incorporate industry-specific terminology to make your CV more relevant.
3. Avoid Generic Terms: Clear overused words like Led, reported to, to keep your CV fresh and engaging.

4. Poor Formatting or Layout:

When writing a CV, it is advisable to use only standardized formats in order to enhance readability. Unattractive formatting, unclear headings, and poorly aligned texts will bring about confusion and show a lack of professionalism because it is not visually appealing.  

Professional Tips

• Ensure the use of standard format and fonts, e.g. Times New Roman & Cambria are highly recommended. 
• Sections should be logically arranged, with the headings slightly bigger. 
• There should be sufficient spacing and margin. 

5. Adding Irrelevant Information:

Imagine a situation where you are presenting your research project at an international summit. However, instead of dressing professionally, you attend the event in a clown costume. This would create three negative impressions: people may see you as a joker, perceive you as not taking the event seriously, and view you as unprofessional. 

Similarly, adding hobbies to your CV can have a negative impact. Hobbies are often considered unnecessary and redundant. Instead, it's better to focus on including relevant sections such as awards, certifications, and education, which are more important for your professional profile.

6. Lying and Exaggerating: 

Exaggerating work experience, falsifying job roles or references, and fabricating skills or certifications can seriously harm your reputation and may result in legal issues. It's important to be honest about your education, skills, certifications, and experiences. Recruiters appreciate honesty and may even prefer candidates with less experience if they show genuine potential and integrity.

7: Overused or Generic CV:

Using generic terms and clichés or applying the same CV to every job application can make your application seem impersonal and uninspired. Customize and personalize your CV to stand out from the competition.

Professional Tips

1. Personalize Each CV: Tailor your CV for each job application.
2. Align with the Job Description: Ensure your CV reflects the job's specific requirements.
3. Highlight Relevant Achievements: Focus on achievements pertinent to the role you’re applying for.

8. Inclusion of Photo: 

Be wary of including a photo on your CV, as it can be distracting and unnecessary. This might lead to bias by recruiters making judgments based on appearance rather than qualifications. Furthermore, it takes up valuable space that could be better used for more relevant information, such as education or skills.

A couple of tips:

1. Check the job description to see if a photo is required.
2. If a photo is necessary, make sure it is professional.

Note: Including a photo may be specific to certain industries; however, in most corporate settings, it is not required.

9. Overly Long CV:

A lengthy CV can be problematic, as recruiters may view it as containing irrelevant information and find it time-consuming to review. Imagine yourself in the recruiter’s position: if it takes you over an hour to extract key points from your CV, it will also be a challenge for them.

Professional Tips

1. Keep it Concise: Limit your CV to a maximum of 2-3 pages. The Key is to only focus on experiences that are relevant. 
2. Utilize Bullet Points: Present information clearly and efficiently.

10. Lack of Proper Action Verbs:

To avoid appearing unprofessional, using action verbs in your CV is essential. Passive language can make your CV less engaging and may give recruiters the impression that you need more proactivity. Using active verbs helps convey your confidence, skills, and achievements more effectively.

Professional Tips

Start Bullet Points With Action Verbs: Make your CV more dynamic and impactful.

Examples:

• Instead of "The data was analyzed," write "Analyzed Data for X and Y." 
• Instead of "Teams were supervised," write "Supervised teams."

Your CV is a chance to make a solid first impression with potential employers. 

Avoid these common mistakes to enhance your chances of landing your dream job. Proofread thoroughly, tailor your CV for each application, and use active language to showcase your skills and achievements.

Need assistance with crafting the perfect CV? Contact Stellarwrites to create a standout CV that gets you noticed. Clear overused words to keep your CV fresh and engaging.