Writing a good CV can be one of the toughest challenges of job hunting. Most employers spend just a few seconds scanning each CV before sticking it in the 'Yes' or 'No' pile. Harsh! Your CV is often, if not mostly, the first impression that you give an employer when applying for a job. The recruiter who is in charge of managing applications will have lots of CVs to sift through, meaning you've only got a short time (about ten seconds) to grab their attention before your resume gets thrown in the waste paper basket. Your CV is your first chance to impress. Whether
you are approaching your local employment
agency or applying for jobs directly with
employers, your CV either sells you brilliantly or
puts people off you completely! Make sure you avoid these pitfalls when writing your CV to avoid having your application recycled before it is read…
Too Personal Info
Usually, it is enough to mention only your birth
details, place of residence and probably a
professional looking photo. Do not go so far as
to mention such unnecessary details as the
number of children you have, what church you attend, the political party you support, etc. Some writers also tend to include pointless trivia about themselves (height, weight, star sign, favourite member of One Direction, etc.) to bulk up
their personal profile. Unless it is relevant to your desired role or you want an employer to think "so
what?” please leave it off your CV.
Bad Grammar and Spelling Mistakes
Tell the Truth
Everyone lies on their CV, right? NO! Stop! Blatant lies on your CV can land you in a whole heap of
trouble when it comes to employers checking
your background and references. The last thing
you want is to start work and then lose your new
job for lying. You also may get caught out at the interview stage when you suddenly can't answer
questions on what you claim to know. And that
can be VERY awkward! The ideal CV should paint a perfect picture of who
you are, both personally and professionally, giving
employers the evidence to decide whether you are
right for their company or not. Any mistruths will be disastrous, so make sure that your qualifications, work history, job titles, hobbies, achievements and
skills are all as accurate as possible. Honesty is the
best policy!
Don't Link to Offensive Social Profiles
Including links to your Facebook and Twitter
profiles on your CV can give employers a good
look at your personal life, painting a better picture
of your overall character. More and more recruiters
are using social media networks, such as Facebook,
to research candidates so they'll thank you for saving them the trouble. Though this inclusion may make you seem tech-savvy, it is vital that you perform a profile clean-up
before you present it to an employer. Traces of foul
language, drug use, offensive comments and
excessive drinking will all be frowned upon by a
recruiter, granting your application a first-class ticket to the rejection pile.
Leaving out Information
Whether it's by choice or just forgetfulness, some
people leave previous jobs off their CV meaning a
gap in employment. It's better to not let your employer guess what you were up to as they will
always think the worst. Even if you weren't
working, there may have been transferable skills you picked up that will help your chances.
Writing Lots, but Saying Nothing
Why use twenty words when five will do? Employers
aren't looking for you to explain everything you've ever done, just a few of the key elements that will
persuade them you can do the job. Grab their
attention with bullet points rather than long
sprawling sentences. The ideal CV is two pages long. Nobody is going to
read a ten-page CV, so make yours as concise as it
is informative.
Focus on quality, not presentation
As silly as it may sound, lots of CV-writers, both
young and old, spend more time on making their
resume look pretty than they do writing the
content. Do not use a ‘comedy’ font like Comic Sans. Instead, stick to a friendlier font like Arial or Times New Roman. What’s more, use the same font
throughout your CV. There is nothing wrong with styling your resume as long as it is
done with taste and subtlety. An employer will
easily sniff out a CV that is all style and no
substance, however, so make sure that getting the content right is your top priority.
Don't Break the Two-Page Rule
Use lots of white space to make it easy to read,
make all your sections stand out clearly and only include information that will get you the job. Two pages of A4 is more than enough room to persuade your potential employer that you're
worth contacting for an interview. They're busy people and don't have time to read five or six
pages of your career history. Less is often more.
A Bad Objective
Employers do read your resume objective, but you can leave them unimpressed with lame objectives like, "Seeking a challenging position that offers
professional growth". Give employers something specific and, more importantly, something that
focuses on their needs as well as your own. Example: "A challenging entry-level marketing position that allows me to contribute my skills and
experience in fund-raising for nonprofits". Avoid using lazy phrases like "responsible for". Instead, use action verbs: "Resolved user questions as part of an IT help desk serving 4,000 students and staff."
Lack of Specifics
Employers need to understand what you've done and accomplished. For example: A. Worked with employees in a restaurant setting.
B. Recruited, hired, trained and supervised more
than 20 employees in a restaurant with #2 million in
annual sales. Both of these phrases could describe the same
person, but the details and specifics in example B
will more likely grab an employer's attention.
Mentioning Too Many Hobbies
Some CVs are ignored by HR-managers only
because your e-mail address is unprofessional.
So it is sad, but you should better avoid such e-mails as iloveicecream@blabla.com etc. Too many hobbies mentioned are not so great either.
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Author: Lambe Olanrewaju
follow on twitter @thisseidublog and @simply_lanre
Brilliant, I like this.
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