CV Mistakes: Are These Mistakes on Your CV Losing You Interviews?

CV Mistakes: Are These Mistakes Losing You Interviews?

The job of your CV? Getting you in the door. And these glaring CV mistakes could cost you interviews. Read on for what not to do when CV writing.

CV writing is rarely an easy task. It can be difficult to condense a lot of information about you and why you deserve a specific job into less than three pages.

However, the CV is still very important. It’s the piece of you that employers will get a first impression from and score you that interview.

There’s a lot of mistakes one could make on their CV. Fortunately, we put together a list of the common ones to avoid.

Are you ready for some handy information? First, let’s get into what CVs actually are.

So, What Exactly Is A CV?

Or rather, what’s the difference between a resume and a CV?

A curriculum vitae (CV) is a longer, more in-depth summary of your work experience, skills, achievements, degrees, research, publications, and other important information.

CVs are usually much longer than a resume. They usually run about two to three pages.

A resume, on the other hand, is usually a short summary of your education, work history, and credentials.

Resumes are much more popular in the United States than anywhere else. A CV is a superior option in the UK, especially if you are applying for a major career-oriented position.

Think of the CV as a much longer, more detailed, and more convincing resume.

Get the Interview: Here’s What NOT To Do When CV Writing

These mistakes are very common and could cost you that much-needed interview.

Not Looking Up Resources

You’re looking up resources right now by reading this post, so congratulations! You’ve avoided this mistake.

However, don’t skip out on researching even more resources about CV writing from reputable, informative websites.

The internet is there for learning and easy access to that learning. So use it!

Over-Confidence

In your profile statement and throughout your CV, avoid cocky language. Don’t overestimate your value to a company– this may seem negative, but it is important to be realistic.

You’d have a better chance with a humble and informative CV. Assuming that a degree makes you a valuable asset and writing about yourself in an over-confident way is tacky, and you should also remember that there are other applicants with better assets than you.

Language is everything. If you’re professional in how you write your CV, you may have a chance against applicants with more assets.

Awful Formatting And Over-Writing

Your CV should be formatted for readability, simplicity, and consistency. Don’t awkwardly edit bullet point or use a hard-to-read font. Size your headers, body text, and other sections consistently so that employers can easily find where new sections begin and end.

Try saving your CV as a PDF files so that it is easier to read on tablets. Be tidy!

Just as well, don’t make your CV too long. While this document is supposed to be a bit longer than a resume, don’t exceed three pages.

If all else fails, trust a reputable recruitment agency to help you with formatting properly.

Lying

This is a given, but some CV writers will embellish their skills and history to an extreme. Employers will be doing background checks and will call those references, so be truthful.

In just about every country, including the UK, lying on your CV could be considered fraud.

Leaving Out Contact Information

Either in a header of corner of the first page, list your name, address, phone number, email, fax, etc. Make this section clear and easy to find.

Leaving out your contact information altogether is a poor choice, even if you have your contact information on your cover letter or other attached document. Visibility is important.

Walls Of Text

Would you have the patience to read a full page of unbroken, undivided text? Neither would your potential employer.

Be sure to split up information with headers, subheaders, and bullet points that are evenly spaced and not difficult to navigate.

Your CV is a summary of you, not a movie script. Lots of white space gives readers some breathing room and makes your CV look more organized.

Rushing Through It

You must absolutely take the time to write your CV well and not be rushed.

Get a cup of coffee, sit down in a quiet area, and focus on putting together the best information you can. Take your time and be patient, even if you’re struggling.

Really Long Profile Statements

A profile statement is essentially a one or two sentence summary that points out your biggest attributes and your intentions for your career’s future.

Don’t get wordy. The profile statement is not a cover letter– it’s just there to set the stage for the rest of your CV.

Avoiding A Skills Section

Many people leave this out of their CV and it’s nuts.

A skills section is probably the easiest way to fluff up your abilities. Applying for a management position? Including the type of software you know how to use, cash register abilities, and just about anything you know you can do when it comes to management outside of work experience and schooling.

A skills section can really play up how well-rounded and knowledgeable you are. Don’t skip this section because you don’t feel like you have any skills– you do.

Not Checking Your Grammar And Spelling

You need to check your spelling and grammar after you’re finished with your CV. Then proofread it, edit it again, have someone else proofread it, then edit it once more if needed.

This may be tedious, but nothing looks quite as bad on a CV like poor grammar and spelling. It says more to employers than you’d think.

If you need a bit of help, there are a ton of word counting and grammar apps out there that can help with proofreading.

Get To Writing!

Now that you know some things you definitely shouldn’t do what creating your CV, you can start putting together the best curriculum vitae to get you the interview you need.

Do you have a good CV writing tip? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

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