CV writing is not as straightforward as we would like to believe. Even the most experienced candidates make mistakes that can often be the difference between an interview and the bin!
If you have been using your CV for a while and you’re not having much luck getting an interview the chances are your CV needs a health check…pronto!
The following tips will get you started but if you want a professional CV without the blunders then get in touch with a CV writer to avoid classic mistakes such as:
“I’m looking manly for an IT role”
Spellchecks are pretty helpful, so do use one – it’s amazing how many CVs we see where the simplest spelling check has not been carried out. Don’t assume your spell checker is switched on, some CV templates you find online have it switched off. Also, the language needs to be English UK, not English US. Corinne Mills notes that out of 500 CVs her company surveyed, 90% had errors in spelling or grammar. So after the spell check – READ your CV back! Spell checks are not intelligent and do not know the difference between ‘mainly’ and ‘manly’!
Oooh what a picture!
Most of us not blessed with the looks of Ryan Gosling or Jennifer Lawrence, so what good is a photograph? It tells a recruiter nothing about your suitability for the job, but it could potentially work against you. Let the CV do the hard work for you and once you’re called to interview the recruiter can not only see what you look like but more importantly, hear what you have to say.
sweetcakes@yourhoo.com
What a turn off! Don’t use your personal email address for job applications. It doesn’t cost anything to create a professional email address that you then use on your professional CV!
War and Peace
It’s tempting to cram in as much about yourself as possible, but nobody has the time to read all about your trip to the Hebrides last year while wearing a dog on your head (2 lines on this would suffice) or what your favourite brand of ice cream is. Think about how you would feel if you had to read through 50-100 CVs for a job and ask yourself what you’d really want to know about a candidate. Your CV does need to sound personal rather than crammed full of ‘CV Speak’ but it also needs to be professional – when you get this balance right, you have cracked it.
Never include any of the following personal information
- Marital status
- Birthdate (age discrimination law 2006 guides you not to do this at all)
- Age (ditto)
- Height, weight, hair colour, or other personal attributes (unless you are a thespian)
- Number of children
- Any illnesses
- Photo (unless you really are Ryan Gosling)
So a professional CV needs time and patience and we would suggest that using a CV writer is the best way of avoiding these howlers (but then we wouldn’t we)! Check out our CV services and get in touch if you think your CV needs a health check from a professional!