Top 10 Simple CV Mistakes To Avoid

The CV is often the first impression a hiring manager has of you and more often than not you will only have a few seconds to grab his/her attention and leave him/her wanting to read more and invite you in for an interview.

It is essential that you get this vital piece of communication right and use it as a springboard to the next stage of the job search.

The following, from the career experts, are some common CV mistakes to avoid at all costs.

 1. Insufficient contact details

Make sure your CV clearly details your full name, address and contact details for a prospective employer to reach you including phone numbers and email address.

This may sound obvious but remarkably, a few candidates will send their CV out omitting key contact information or with outdated contact details.

 If your email address reads particularly unprofessionally (eg hot-babe) or is a work email address it may be well worth while changing it for a different one to utilize for correspondence with employers.

2. No objective

Every CV should begin with a clear and concise objective citing the position you are seeking and a supporting short skills statement summarizing the reason you are highly qualified for this role; e.g. "Seeking a senior marketing analyst role where I can apply my 3 years experience in marketing analysis gained with a leading Fortune 500 FMCG company as well as my skills in copy writing, strategic analysis, business development, client servicing and media planning."

Remember, the goal of the CV is to outline what you can do for your prospective employer not what your employer can do for you.

3. Passive language

Remember to use active verbs that show leadership and accomplishments rather than weak passive words.

Words like achieved, spearheaded, managed, exceeded, pioneered, led, created, developed and motivated convey an active, dynamic successful professional.

Substitute all weak descriptive sentences for sentences that detail accomplishments in no uncertain terms eg instead of "Managed the firm's emerging markets equity portfolio" try "Managed and achieved a 34% annualized return on the firm's flagship USD200 million emerging markets equity portfolio."

4. Writing in the first person

Do not start sentences with the word 'I' or use the personal pronoun in your job descriptions.

Keep your sentences short and dynamic and begin them wherever possible with strong action words.

5. Lack of focus

Every CV should be focused on the particular job and industry you are targeting.

If you are applying to jobs in 2 different industries make sure you have different CVs that cater specifically to the different skills required in each industry.

 The best CVs are customized for the individual job at hand and emphasize objectives, skill sets, past accomplishments, aptitudes and qualifications that are uniquely relevant to that role. Generic, unfocused CVs rarely make the mark.

6. Poor formatting

Your CV will get no more than a cursory glance if the formatting is poor and it shows bad planning, poor organization or clutter.

Makes sure you adhere to an acceptable format that is professional, simple and attractive to the eye.

Use bullet points wherever possible rather than long, winding prose and be consistent with font, headings, spaces and layout.

Avoid the colored paper, illustrations and glitzy touches - if you are applying for a creative position show your creativity in your portfolio not by jazzing up your CV.

Aim to send your CV on high quality paper (if not on-line) and make sure it is no longer than 1 page if you are entry level and a maximum of 2 pages if you are a seasoned professional.

7. No proofreading

Spelling mistakes, poor grammar and glaring errors are a surefire way to get your CV dismissed and stop the job search process in its tracks.

Read and reread your CV before sending it to the employer, run a spell check and have some-one else read it for an extra check before sending it out.

8. Omission of key facts

Educational qualifications and professional experience must be included in your CV with proper dates, titles, institution names and descriptions.

Use plenty of keywords in describing your role and accomplishments in each job as well as in the Skills section - these will often be the hook that makes the difference between your CV being considered or overlooked, particularly with an online employer CV search.

If you are unsure what keywords to use, read the job description thoroughly, read detailed job descriptions for similar jobs with other companies and ask peers in the industry what skills/qualifications are particularly relevant for this role.

9. Lies

Lies and half-truths will be discovered sooner or later and you are better off omitting them from the
start.

If you have not finished a university degree make that clear on your CV without neglecting to include the coursework you did complete and the educational accomplishments you do have.

 Similarly do not list promotions, jobs, titles, dates or job descriptions that do not accurately reflect your work history.

Most companies run very detailed background checks and lies and exaggerations that are not glaringly obvious on the CV or at the interview will often be discovered at the reference or background check.

10. Poor targeting

Make sure you send your CV to the right person at the company and accompany it with a short, concise cover letter that personalizes it and summarizes your skills, objectives and the value you will bring to the job.

 Spend some time researching who heads the division you are targeting and what the most relevant skills are to target in your correspondence and send your introductory CV and cover letter directly to them.

Your CV is more likely than not to be disregarded completely if you send it to the wrong person or to a nameless "To whom it may concern".