How to avoid the most common CV mistakes

An employer can receive dozens of applications for a job ad and if you want to stand out from the crowd you need to make your CV work hard for you. Here's our top 5 ways to avoid the most common CV mistakes made.

Writing a generic CV

To put it bluntly, generic CV's are, usually, poor CV's and writing a 'one size fits all' CV is a mistake. Take time to customise your skills for each and every application. An employer has a clear and set of needs and requirements and your CV needs to show why you're the right person for that specific role.

Exaggerating the truth

Stating that you're an expert on software such as excel or word probably seems like a good idea at the time of writing your CV but when you get the job and are asked to perform a v-lookup (which you have no idea how to do) you're going to find yourself in an awkward position. Rather than lying about what you can do, be real about what you know and what you're keen to learn. Skills can always be taught.

Writing about responsibilities, not achievements

An employer doesn't want to just know about what you have done but how well you have done it, meaning your CV should be achievement orientated. The best way to set yourself apart from other candidates and show you did your job well is through achievements and detailing the difference you made.

Making your CV too long

When asked, employers stated that the ideal CV should be no longer that one page and if that's not possible make the front page really stand out! As we've previously stated, employers will have a lot of CV's to read through for any one job role and they don't want to read a book. We know that sometimes a very experienced persons CV will be longer than average which it's important not to waffle. Focus on the quality.

Inappropriate contact information or an inappropriate email address

Making mistakes when it comes to your contact details is a surprisingly common mistake that can be detrimental. This is usually happens because most people tend to focus on the main content rather than the small details and unfortunately, no matter how good your CV is putting an inappropriate email address can instantly de-rail your application.

To summarise, CV writing and re-designing doesn't need to be a daunting prospect that fills you with dread. Just be honest, be specific and talk about yourself.

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