Top CV Mistakes to Avoid

Make sure your CV is your springboard to the next stage of the job
search. Here are some key CV mistakes to avoid.

Your 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 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information or with outdated contact details.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 (e.g. 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 copywriting, 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 e.g. 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, skillets, 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".