Job searching is nearly over as you finally discover your dream job is merely an interview away. Your professionally designed CV (using one of our templates, of course) is ready to be emailed, and all you have to do is sit back and wait for the call. Or so you thought!
A professionally designed CV that stands out from the crowd may get you noticed, but if the content doesn’t match the design. Well, let’s just say your hopes and dreams will soon fade into the distance.
It’s the small things that can make a difference; you can’t claim to be a perfectionist but have a CV riddled with spelling mistakes and other errors. It’s just not going to work! Read on for our list of the top 10 common errors you must avoid.
1. Contact Information
Believe it or not, you would be surprised at how many candidates forget to include all of their vital contact details. Your cell number is great but make sure to include your email address as well. While we are on the subject of email addresses, please, please make sure your personal address is professional – hotpants@gmail.com is not a great idea!
2. Photographs
If you have opted to include a photograph, make sure it is professional. In other words, leave your Mom, the dog, your best friend, or your car out of it!
3. Education
You may be currently studying, and that is definitely something you want to include but make sure it is clear that it falls under current studies. A recruiter will assume that you have already achieved that qualification unless you state otherwise.
4. Work History
Always make sure your work history is displayed in reverse chronological order. No potential recruiter or employer wants to have to page down to try and find your current or more recent position. Unless, of course, your first job is what you want them to remember!
5. Impressive Titles
No, you can’t make up your own titles! As much as you would love to be a vice president, if you were a team manager, just say team manager.
6. Key Responsibilities
It is crucial to include a list of your key responsibilities. Note the use of the word key! Listing every single thing you did, is not necessary. Rather spend time detailing the important ones. And remember, for positions that you held years ago, well they don’t require as much detail!
7. References
It is critical to ensure that your references contact details are up to date and that your references are current. Your high school teacher may have loved you, but she isn’t a great reference ten years down the track.
8. Far too many pages
It’s a CV, not a novel. Those lengthy CVs generally don’t get read; an entire page dedicated to your name, contact details, and photograph is a waste. The best CVs are around two pages long but if you have extensive work experience, try not to gove over four pages.
9. Spelling and grammar
Spelling and grammar are important! Spelling and grammatical errors detract from your CV. Abbreviations and social media spelling isn’t going to cut it, no matter how gr8 you think it is. (See how annoying gr8 is?)
10. Positioning
One CV will not work for every position you are applying for. We definitely recommend tailoring your CV for each position by highlighting the skills and attributes they are looking for. Remember, your objective is to stand out from the crowd.
So before you hit send, do a quick review and make sure you aren’t guilty of any of the above. Besides tailoring your content, you can also tailor your design using any of our Make A CV templates!
