Common Errors

Human Resource departments and hiring managers generally have little patience for reading a CV. They will be more likely to reject your application than think about calling you for any clarification! Below is a list of seven common CV writing errors discovered on many applications:

1. Poor presentation – the presentation of your CV is equally as crucial as the actual content. You must be very careful and stick to a simple and professional layout. Fancy borders, images and confusing graphics, all take the eye away from the content and can also take too long to load. We believe as many as one third of all candidates with excellent experience ruin their hopes with a poorly presented CV, don’t let it happen to you!

2. CV is the incorrect length – you will not gain credit for writing a 3000 word report. You will also fail to be successful if you choose to summarise your working life within one page.  Every country has very different CV length criteria so it is important your CV is prepared to their requirements.

3. CV fails to add any value – if your CV has been submitted and is similar to another 40 or 50 candidates, there will be a likely chance that you will end up missing out and will never receive that all important phone call. Your CV must present the ‘WOW’ factor so that it is your name that is at the top of the pile!

4. Bad spelling and grammatical errors – your spelling and grammar should be perfect on every CV that is sent to a prospective employer.  When you are in a hurry, mistakes are inevitable. When writing a CV great time and care must be taken in order to prevent silly mistakes.  Printing out your CV is also important so you can see how each section looks to the reader, as well as checking page breaks and formatting.

5. Unimportant information – it is advisable to ensure any activities written on your CV have some form of relevance to your career. By placing irrelevant information on your CV demonstrates a lack of focus. For example, if you completed a 4-week Spanish course whilst travelling in Peru in 1987, this is not relevant if you are now applying for a senior executive position!

6. Lack of focus – it can be easy to write your CV without focusing on the job you are applying for. If you decide to do this, you will inevitably create confusion. Ask yourself the question – will my potential employer want a candidate that can do a bit of everything or will they want a candidate with focus? It is essential that your CV and cover letter matches the competencies, skills and experience they are looking for in addition to quickly recognising what value you can add to the organisation.

7. Picture perfect - it is not advisable to display a photo on your CV unless you are applying for a modelling role or similar. There are always exceptions to the rule and some countries require a picture so if in doubt, check with us. If a photo is requested, it is always wise to present a professional image!

Looking for some help?

No problem! Contact Global CV Solutions to receive a no obligation assessment of your CV or if you prefer you can purchase one of our great CV Packages today and one of our consultants will be in touch within 24 hours