Curriculum Vitae is your own way of communicating your abilities, experiences, qualifications and skills in order to secure a job you desire.
Writing your CV requires conscious effort. Employers have also identified some flaws that reduce the chances of job seekers getting call backs simply because they do not know or are careless about the presentation of their CV.
For the purpose of this writing, we would list and discuss ten mistakes applicants must refrain from in order to scale through job interviews and get the appointment afterwards:
IRRELEVANT INFORMATION:
No employer has all the time in the world to check through your CV; they scan through your CV within a minute or less. So do not fill it with needless information that would only jeopardise your chances. Data like religion, height, weight, etc. should be excluded.
DON’T HIDE IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The purpose of a CV is to sell one’s personality in line with the job they aspire to, so it has to be communicated right away to a prospective employer in your CV. You can use highlights or bullet points to emphasize your strong areas and important information.
AMBIGUOUS WORDS
Avoid using words or phrases like ‘several’, ‘a few’, ‘many’ in your CV, they are not definite enough, and can only make your CV unclear and hence, unacceptable to your interviewer. Especially when you are meant to state the years of work experience, mention exactly the number of years, designation or role, and nothing more. Perhaps, you made significant sales in your previous employment, state precisely the figure or amount for your interviewer to know that you are sure of your responses, and that you are not faking it.
LIES
Your CV is representative of your worth. However, do not include a qualification and work title that you know nothing about. Saying exactly what you are or have (qualities, previous salary, grade level, skills, etc.) presents you as an honest person and that could be just what the interviewer or employer needs to approve you as the best fit for the job.
LENGTHY EXPRESSIONS
Your CV should be a brief summary of who you are and what you can offer. Describe yourself or ability in the shortest possible way because it will help you keep your employer interested in going through your CV.
EXTRA GRAPHICS DESIGN
Unless you’re applying for a graphics designer role, please, focus on the most important things, which are your experience, qualification and skills. Employers are interested in what you have got to offer other than mundane add-ons. Your CV should be typed in a screen-friendly font, preferably Ariel or Times New Roman, and with a size not exceeding 10 or 12 for the body text, while the heading and subheading can take a slightly larger size.
POOR INTRODUCTION
Instead of a vague introduction, try a direct expression of your ability or experience. Use words like “A sales representative with 10 years of work experience in the financial sector”. This is more acceptable than saying ‘results-oriented, team player, achiever,’ etc. Note that the interviewer’s first point of call might be your introduction and if you can get the required attention there, you will be good for it.
GRAMMATICAL ERRORS
This is termed a credibility killer by some people. Do not ruin your chances of getting a job by any error in grammar, spelling, or expression. Therefore, make sure you check and cross check your CV for errors and get someone else to do this for you too.
Drama