The traditional Word CV as we know it is increasingly being supplemented with infographics, LinkedIn profiles, and candidate videos but the CV remains the key to getting interviews and jobs offers. One single mistake is enough to put a potential employer off, so it’s important for your CV to be flawless. Here are our top tips on avoiding the most common CV mistakes.
- Layout + Font mistakes
Your CV should be easy to navigate with clearly defined sections outlining your qualifications, experience and profile. Fonts should be plain and easy to read. Don’t be tempted to squeeze too much information onto one page, at the expense of the overall look and clarity of the page. Your most recent role should always be the first role detailed, unless a previous role is more relevant- in this case list your roles in order of relevance.
- Be sure to include a summary or profile of yourself
A short summary of your experience, personality and what you are looking for in your next role is the first thing a prospective employer will look at. It will tell the reader whether they want to know more.
- Lengthy CVs
The ideal CV should be 1 or 2 pages long. Any longer and the person screening your CV is unlikely to read it all. This can be a challenge as a person’s career progresses. Graduates and associate level candidates benefit from including voluntary and unrelated roles but as a person’s career progresses, these should be removed.
- Writing in the 3rd Person
Don’t do it! Its off-putting and odd.
- Career Breaks
These should be acknowledged on a CV. Whatever the reason for the career break, its better to have an explanation than an unexplained gap in your CV. If it’s complicated then a cover letter can fill in the details.
- Contact Details
Don’t forget to include your e mail address and phone number on your CV so that a prospective employer can contact you easily.
- Grammar and Spelling Issues
This sounds obvious but you might be surprised at the number of CVs we receive that contain spelling and grammar mistakes. There is no excuse. Read your CV forwards, backwards and then get a friend to do the same!
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