Not Getting Interviews? Making These Rookie CV Gaffes?
We review peoples CVs all the time. You would be amazed at the mistakes that people make when writing their CV. The tragedy of this is that most people never get to know exactly what is wrong with their CV- they carry on without ever knowing what is holding them back
When a resume is too long, people quickly lose interest. When a resume is too short, it is dismissed as being sub standard. Two sheets of foolscap is the perfect length. Long enough to be considered as a serious contender, short enough to be understood in the time available to the employer and moved on for proper discussion later in the recruitment process.
Never use bright colours, fonts, print sizes, or textured paper on which to submit your resume. Unless creativity is part of the job requirements, conservative is definitely best. Black print on a plain white or neutral background like light brown works the best. Recruiters are expecting a certain style of resume and you won’t get far sticking to this rule. Of course there are always variations to any rule but you won’t go far wrong listening to this sage piece of advice.
Unless the application states that you must, never include a photograph. You have no idea who is going to receive your CV and you need to protect your identity. By the way, never put your actual date of birth on the CV either- your age alone is fine or just leave it out. Personal details can be used to steal identities- guard unnecessary details if you can
Never ever lie. You will get caught out.
Be positive about every employer that you worked for, showing what you did for them in a positive light. After all, I assume that they paid you at the very least. If they didn’t, they weren’t an employer. Make sure that your achievements are quantifiable, honest and highlight what a potential employer would want from an employee.
Having fun with your mates on facebook, twitter, myspace, etc. may be a great deal of fun. Be warned, employers are becoming social network savvy and using these sites to check you out. Don’t put anything on these sites that you wouldn’t want to be confronted with later on. Clean things up- be aware that cached pages can be available for a long time after you deleted them. Don’t believe me? Check out one of your old school friends on facebook
Make sure there are no gaps in your CV. An employer will be looking for gaps and having them in your CV just leaves enough room for doubt to be rejected. Cover all gaps in employment- if you were unemployed, say so- its better than being rejected for reasons that you don’t understand.
Please don’t try and be funny on your CV. It doesn’t translate, it may offend and nobody wants to employ someone who might embarrass the company. Of course you need to have a sense of humour, the CV isn’t the place to show it off though- dazzle them with your wit at the interview.
When you write your CV or resume, check out the work of a professional CV writer. Glenn Hughes is owner of the professional CV writing service CV That Works Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.
No comments yet.