5 Common Mistakes You May be Making in Your CV

Once you finish your studies and go out in the world looking for a job, you realize how difficult it is to get employed at a company. The process of finding a job is strenuous and exhausting. There is too much competition out there. In this post, we will see 5 common mistakes you may be making in your CV.

For every vacant position, there are hundreds of candidates. And as you are fresh out of university, it is even more difficult for you as experienced candidates are applying for the same job. It can get too overwhelming at times but don’t get stressed out. There are several ways, through them, you can improve your chances of landing a good job.

Maybe you have applied at many places and not even heard back. This can be very discouraging, but it’s essential to learn from your mistakes and keep applying. If you are not even getting a response, then it’s highly likely that your CV is not up to par.

You are probably making some mistakes while preparing your CV or not highlighting important details. Your CV is your calling card for potential employers, and it should immediately catch their interest; otherwise, it will be relegated to the trash. 

Here are the most common mistakes people make while preparing their CV:

Having Spelling Mistakes or Grammatical Errors

No matter how careful you thought you were being, spelling mistakes or typos always sneak in. We understand it is annoying to give everything a careful second read after finishing up, but a CV requires one. If you don’t want to do it yourself, send it to a friend to proofread.

A CV should not have any spelling or grammatical mistakes as that would create a bad impression everywhere. Your aim with your CV is to impress, so it is essential that it does not have any mistakes. 

Since some mistakes slip past careful editing as well, you should run the CV through Grammarly.

Exaggerating Skills or Experience

Another common mistake people commit is exaggerating their skills or experience on their CVs. They think that this will help improve their chances of getting a job. We are not saying that it won’t help, but you will just as easily lose the job if the truth is found out later.

In fact, the best thing you can do is be completely honest in your CV. Honesty is often underrated when we talk about job applications. Still, employers actually prefer candidates who are honest about their capabilities and skills over candidates who are obviously grossly exaggerating on their CVs. 

Bad Formatting 

This is something that a lot of people often overlook while they are drafting their CVs. A poorly formatted CV will definitely reflect badly on you, and it will seem that you don’t pay attention to detail.

There is no reason why your CV shouldn’t look impeccably formatted. If you are not good at formatting, you can ask a friend to help you out. Make sure that the CV is polished and professional by the looks of it. This will create a good impression of you in the mind of the person perusing your job application. 

If your CV is not formatted well, it might get rejected before even being read. 

Having an Unoriginal Personal Profile

This is another place where people often don’t put much effort in, and they simply write the first things that come to their minds. However, if a personal profile is filled with cliches like “I am a hard-working individual” and “I pay attention to detail”, it will most likely get rejected.

Employers seek candidates who are capable of original thought and innovation. If your profile reads as if you just copy-pasted it from somewhere else, they will form the opinion that you are lazy and unmotivated. 

This space is perfect for letting employers know what kind of person you are while highlighting your most relevant qualifications and achievements. 

Not Highlighting the Most Important Details 

It is very important that you highlight your qualifications and achievements relevant to the position you are applying for. The employer should not have to search for these qualifications while perusing your CV.

The most relevant details should be in a position of prominence in your CV where it will immediately catch anyone’s eye who glances at it. Employers receive hundreds of CVs every month, and they don’t have the time to read each one carefully.

If you have not highlighted details in the CV which prove that you are an ideal candidate for the job, the employer might miss that and summarily reject your application. 

Applying for jobs and giving interviews can be nerve-wracking, and filling up job application forms over and over can be mentally and emotionally exhausting. This is why your CV should be impeccable.

Which common mistake have you been making in your CV? Let us know by writing in the comment section below.