Your CV is one of the most important documents you will ever create but a single mistake could send all that hard work straight to the recycle bin. Hiring managers and HR executives sort through hundreds of CVs for every job opening. That means they may spend only a few seconds on each one.
If you make any of these 5 blunders, you could be dooming your chances of getting the job.
1. Fancy Fonts
Your CV should be polished and professional, not showy. Even if the job you are seeking has a creative bent, your CV is not the place to show off your artistic talents. Avoid fancy fonts, unusual colours, clip art and other flourishes – they take more from your CV than they add.
2. Misspelled Words and Grammatical Errors
No matter what your past accomplishments, misspellings and grammatical errors are sure to send your CV straight to the trash. With so much on the line, there is simply no excuse for sending out a CV that is not letter perfect.
3. A Lack of Accomplishments
Your future boss does not want to know what your daily duties were. He or she wants to know what you were able to accomplish in the past and what you can bring to the organisation in the future. Your CV should focus on what you have been able to achieve thus far in your career, and the skills you will use to build more in the future.
4. Not Using Keywords
The first person to read your CV may not be a person at all. Search engine robots and automated systems are often used to sort CVs and look for key job skills. If your CV does not include the keywords the robot is looking for, the document may never make it to human eyes. If you do not know which keywords to include, just take your cue from the job description.
5. Going On and On
Your CV should not tell your life story, and it certainly should not resemble a novel. Keep your CV short and sweet; limit it to a single page wherever possible. The goal is to make the CV easy to read, even for hiring managers who are pressed for time.
When it comes to landing a job, knowing what to avoid can be even more important than knowing what to do. Learning to recognize and overcome these common CV blunders may not guarantee you the position but it can improve your odds.
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