Whilst your CV won't secure you a new role, it can greatly affect your chances of gaining an interview. Therefore, recruiters take great care in presenting a CV that showcases you and your abilities in the best light. However, before your first draft reaches us, here's some advice on how to clear up common mistakes.
1) Unhelpful Introductions
If you decide to include an introduction on your CV, make sure it is relevant and sums up all your key qualities without being too vague. Make sure your suitability for a role is immediately obvious - explain your current role and years of experience.
2) Excessive Length
Try not to allow your CV to become too long. Whilst you don't want to cut out important information to shorten it, aim to keep it fairly concise and no longer than two pages.
3) Irrelevant Experience
Make sure to be clear on why you think your background matches up to the job requirements. Find the specific business value of your experience - don't leave a recruiter asking "so?"
4) Dishonesty
Whilst it might seem like everyone has at least one joke to tell about lying on their CV, it rarely works out in the long run. Recruiters are experts in spotting inaccuracies, and one lie could leave them believing that some of your genuine successes are false too.
5) Cluttered Designs
Don't go overboard when it comes to designing your CV - bear in mind that the look could overpower the information, or even make it impossible to read. Choose simple, easy to read fonts and font sizes and, if sending it online, try to use Word.
6) Spelling Errors
Although this seems like an obvious mistake to avoid, it can be easy to miss a spelling error in your own writing, especially if you proof read it only shortly after writing it. Try to check it over with an outside eye, and definitely use a spell checker. One silly mistake could ruin an otherwise excellent CV.
7) Unexplained Employment Gaps
If for any reason you took a significant break from employment, it's important to let us know why! You don't have to be too specific but leaving it blank can be confusing for a recruiter, so even a little bit of info can make a big difference.
Visit our CV Preparation Guide for even more Austin Rose advice & insights.
