5 Common CV Mistakes That Are Costing You Interviews
Our CV is typically our first chance to make an impression on potential employers. It’s our chance to overcoming the first obstacle and getting an actual interview. The problem is that many or most of us fail to avoid common mistakes that prevent our CV from even making it past the initial screening. To help us avoid these pitfalls, here are five common CV mistakes that are costing us interviews and how to fix them. Please contact us directly if you would like 1:1 help in this process!
1. A Generic CV
A one-size-fits-all CV is the typical way we land in the ‘no’ pile. Employers need to see that we’ve taken the time to tailor our CV to the specific role and organisation. Sending a generic CV suggests that we didn’t put effort into completing the application and we’re not genuinely interested in the job. It will also mean that we didn’t put our best, hyper-relevant information into the CV.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
Tailor Our CV: Highlight the skills and experiences most relevant to the job we’re applying for.
Use Keywords: Include keywords from the job description to align our CV with what the employer is looking for.
Customise Personal Statements: If we have a personal statement or summary in our CV, consider having it explain why we’re a great fit for this specific role. Additionally, use the Cover Letter to show that we have done research into the company/role. Where we can, highlight key details on why we’re interested and why we’re specifically suited for the role.
2. Including Irrelevant Information
Employers spend less than ten seconds reviewing a CV. While it might be tempting to list every part-time job or extracurricular activity we’ve ever done, filling our CV with irrelevant information will make it look cluttered and unfocused. Even moreso, it drags the recruiter’s attention away from the information that will get us over this initial hurdle. Employers only want to see what’s directly applicable to the job they’re hiring for – usually this is the biggest mistake of those with good, aesthetic CVs.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
Prioritise Relevant Experience: Focus on roles and activities that demonstrate transferable skills or align with the job.
Remove Any Excess: If an experience doesn’t add value or showcase strengths, leave it out. Excess jockeys for attention with good information.
Keep It Concise: For students and recent graduates, a one-page CV is usually sufficient. Only in exceptional circumstances should it be more than two, e.g. portfolios when requested.
3. Not Highlighting Achievements
Listing our duties without showcasing achievements will make our CV blend in with the rest. Employers want to see what we’ve accomplished and the impact we’ve made, even in part-time jobs or internships. Don’t just list tasks, explain positive results.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
Use Action Verbs: Start bullet points with strong action verbs like ‘led,’ ‘organised,’ ‘directed’, ‘built’, ‘created’, ‘improved’, ‘arranged’, ‘coordinated’ – use an online Thesaurus if needs be.
Quantify Our Achievements: Whenever possible, include numbers to give context to accomplishments (e.g., ‘Increased social media follows/viewership by 25%’).
Focus on Impact: Highlight how our actions benefited the company, team, or project. ‘My role was X, leading to a very positive outcome of Y’.
4. Typos and Poor Grammar
If you’re a recruiter reviewing dozens of applications, you will look for any excuse to discard a CV. We can’t give them this excuse. Misspellings, mixed tenses, repeated words, poor English generally, will be the reason you don’t get an interview. Typos and grammatical errors can signal a lack of attention to detail; a basic standard of almost every role.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
Proofread The CV: Read the CV out loud to catch awkward phrasing or mistakes.
Use Tools: Leverage tools like ChatGPT or Grammarly to double-check spelling and grammar.
Get Feedback: If you’re not going to use Career Ready Consulting, ask friends or family to review the CV. Even better if you have a connection in recruitment or HR circles that can give you a professional opinion.
5. Poor Formatting
Even if our content is impressive, poor formatting can make our CV difficult to read, looks unprofessional and generally shows a lack of care & workmanship. As mentioned, employers will spend less than ten seconds reviewing a CV, so readability is key.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
Use a Clean Layout: Stick to a simple, professional design with consistent fonts and clear headings. This will also help with applicant tracking systems (ATS).
Be Consistent: Ensure formatting like bullet points, font sizes, and spacing are uniform throughout the document.
Save as a PDF: Submitting our CV as a PDF ensures that our formatting remains intact, regardless of the device or software the employer uses to open it.
In conclusion, our CV is our first opportunity to make an impression, so it’s crucial to get it right. We have to avoid these five common mistakes to give ourselves a chance of getting an interview. I would go as far as to say that we would need to be overqualified for a role to get an interview if we are doing any of the above. A CV is a reflection of the person; make sure it is professional, specific, and concise.
If you are not getting interviews and are unsure about your CV, we’re here to help! Reach out to us for tailored advice and let us help you craft a CV that gets you in the door. Get in touch for low-cost, 1:1 help!