Is Your CV Constantly Being Overlooked? Ever Wondered Why?
Annoying mistakes on your CV that can lose you the job
As a global recruiter, I read many CVs each week from candidates at all levels of seniority, backgrounds and nationalities . I’m sure that I’m not alone when I say that some CVs drive me mad with errors, sloppiness and omissions. So easily fixed by checking. CVs can be overlooked because of these errors. Is yours one of them?
These are some of the annoying mistakes I see:
1. No contact details. It’s hard to imagine forgetting contact details, but it happens all too readily. I know someone who sent out CVs over a period of 6 months and wondered why no one had contacted her. She forgot contact details.
2. Contact details at the end of the CV. Perhaps the candidate thinks that it forces us to read to the end of the CV. But this isn’t how it works.
3. No email address: yes it’s not uncommon that email contact is left off.
4. Work history beginning from first appointment. Please begin the work history with your current role, then chronologically backwards.
5. Missing years in your history: If there are some years that you spent elsewhere, please don’t just leave it out. Make note of them within your history with a short paragraph explanation. We’ll only wonder what you did for those years if you leave them out!
6. History not up to date – haven’t added in current employer? Your history must be completed. It is not good enough thinking that the Cover Letter can include the most recent role.
7. No qualifications mentioned: Well then, perhaps you don’t have any?
Are any of these errors on your CV?
Check your CV thoroughly. Ask yourself if it meets the standard for the role you’re applying for. If it doesn’t then take the time to improve it. There are so many resources readily available on the web, including this blog!
Your CV is your story. Treat it with the respect that it deserves.
Now it’s your turn – are there any others that I’ve left out? Have you been guilty of any that I’ve mentioned?
