Some job seekers think writing a CV is easy. Perhaps they are right, but you need to know what you doing and, most importantly, what jobs you are targeting. There are lots of potential pitfalls, some may be small, others very large. I’ve put together this list of the 5 biggest mistakes that job seekers make that impact on the effectiveness of their application. Steer clear of these and you give yourself a much better chance of scoring that all important interview.
1. Not tailoring your CV
When you first think about updating or writing a fresh new CV you may not have a specific job in mind. That is fine as it is always a good idea to keep note of your latest achievements. However, this will never be the finished CV you use to apply for a role. Always tailor your CV for every application by reading the person specification and showing how you meet the criteria. A tailored CV will beat a generic CV hands down when being assessed by the recruiter.
2. Not using the right key words
Applicant Tracking Systems or ATS are used by many medium and large sized organisations to filter CVs against a job description. They work mainly by analysing key words and phrases and then ranking the CVs that are a closest match to the job description. Mirror the words and phrases from the job description in your CV and this will help it get through ATS filters. It is estimated 70% of CVs fall foul of ATS systems so use the same key words and phrases in your CV.
3. Spelling mistakes
Some surveys estimate that as many as 50% of CVs contain spelling mistakes. This seems incredible when you think about it. We have all these online spell checking tools and yet still errors get through. Remember, the English language is fickle and spell checks will not pick up every error. The best advice is to get someone else to read your CV before sending it. It is easy to become blind to your own mistakes when you are very familiar with a document.
4. Not including achievements
Many job seekers just describe the duties and responsibilities of their role in a CV. The challenge with this is that the recruiter knows what the job looks like, they are recruiting for one after all. The recruiter wants to see how good you are. You can show this by giving specific examples of aspects of your work where you have made a difference. For example you may have reduced costs, increased margins or improved customer satisfaction. Include facts and figures to show how your achievements have made a measurable impact.
5. The CV is too long
Seconds rather than minutes will be spent reading your CV. Although it may seem unfair given the hours you may have put into it, you need to place yourself in the shoes of the time pressed recruiter. Keep your CV to a 2 page format. This encourages you to distil the information and think carefully about what to include, and more importantly, what can be left out. Even if you have a 30 year a career behind you recruiters are not interested in what you did even 10 years back so focus on the most recent years of your career.
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