Find a New Job or Career

Common Mistakes Applicants make when Writing CVs

With more people competing for jobs than ever before in recent memory, constructing a punchy, concise and exciting CV is the crucial difference between securing an interview and being thoughtlessly dismissed into the pile of ‘no-nos’. 

For the hundreds of thousands of us searching for new jobs (Reed is a great place to start your job search), better opportunities and careers. We don’t realise that the thing holding us back might not have anything to do with our experience – it’s actually down to how we present it.

General tips
You want to get inside the head of the company you’re applying to work for – and the particular HR professional who’ll be sifting through your (and many others’) CV. They want to see a clear and targeted CV at this specific job, not a just a general collection of records that get sent around to everyone. Make sure you highlight the skills and experiences which directly respond to the job description. Show motivation and drive in your layout and targeting of information.

Length and style
The first mistake that is commonly made when creating a CV is to put everything and anything you’ve ever done. Anything over 2 pages is already treading on very thin ice – if you make it to 3 pages you can be guaranteed that your potential employer has stopped reading.

More than that, it smacks of a lack of confidence and focus – it seems like you didn’t know what to include or prioritise. The same goes for content within your CV – again, time and being succinct are your key factors here: you need to give the essentials in a few words, so swap sentences for summarising bullet points which clearly mark out your qualities and skills picked up at each job.

Order and layout
What goes on that essential front page? Unless you are applying for a graduate job, or have little experience, your education and training can go on the second page of your CV. It’s often better to start your CV with a summary of your expertise (don’t forget also to describe yourself in the header of your CV, i.e. John Smith, Recruitment Consultant) alongside your contact details.

Finally, don’t be afraid to get a friend or HR expert to read the document and give you any extra tips and advice – this can be really useful coming from someone who knows you personally and also has professional understanding of the field.

Does your CV measure up to the job that you aspire to?
Michelle Meiklejohn / freedigitalphotos.net.

Google Ads

Get the Job you Deserve

The first way people usually do a job search is from a newspaper. This is not always the best way to do a local job search, but it is commonly used.  Before you start this local career search, you may want to have a CV and cover letter ready.

A popular form of a job searching is online. There are several websites that offer this service.  At some of these websites you can create a CV. You can either copy and paste a CV you have already created or you can use the website's CV builder.

Finding a great job is very important but not easy.  With a great CV you will find the perfect career much easier. Find a quality CV writing service, one that can have a significant input into the writing, targeting, formatting, and presentation of your CV and deliver a full CV online package so head hunters can find you. 

I am now looking forward to writing  your CV and cover letter, so you can get that job you deserve.

A new professional CV (Curriculum Vitae) can help with job searching, interviews, business networking, finding a work-life balance and career progression. You can download CV examples and templates from this website. You can also email me your existing CV or complete my CV Questionnaire for free advice and a quote.