In this blog we delve deep into some of the common issues our recruiters point out in candidate CVs. Aiming to shed some light on the eerie errors that haunt countless CVs. Avoidable errors often lurk in the CVs of unsuspecting candidates, ready to put off potential employers and curse your job prospects. This Halloween, our mission is to exorcise these bone-chilling CV nightmares, ensuring your career path remains illuminated even in the darkest of nights.
From addressing grammar errors to crafting specific achievements, we guide you through the intricacies of CV perfection. Learn how to ensure relevance through out your CV by tailoring it for each role, striking a balance between detail and brevity. Join us as we transform your CV into a compelling narrative, captivating recruiters and illuminating your career path.
In the realm of job applications, with opportunities flicking like ghostly apparitions, many unsuspecting souls fall victim to easily avoidable CV errors. These mistakes lurking in the murky corners of your resume, can bewitch potential employers and leave your job prospects cursed. Let’s unravel these bone-chilling CV horrors, ensuring your career path remains illuminated even in the darkest of nights.
Beware, for spelling and grammar mistakes never fail to haunt the CVs of unsuspecting candidates. Making grammar mistakes is common as the English language is complex, and riddled with many labyrinthine rules, exceptions to those rules, nuances, and irregularities, confounding the bravest of souls. On top of this, typing quality, lack of proofreading and autocorrection errors can contribute to overlooked grammar mistakes, and while everyone makes mistakes, employers rightly still expect your CV to come with no errors, in the eyes of discerning recruiters, impeccable grammar is a beacon of professionalism.
According to one source, 59% of recruiters reject a CV because of grammatical errors, while it’s clear everyone makes mistakes, that percentage doesn’t need to be so high! While everyone may stumble in the darkness of writing a complex CV, meticulous proofreading and an eagle eye can ward off these ghoulish errors. Make sure to avoid these simple mistakes;
Homophones: Words with the same pronunciations but different spelling like Cite vs. sight vs. site. Their vs There vs They're, Your vs You're etc.
Misusing Apostrophes: Avoid apostrophe errors, such as confusing "its" (possessive) and "it's" (contraction for "it is"). Similarly, use apostrophes for possessive forms, like "employees' benefits."
Neglecting Proofreading: Typos and grammatical errors can be detrimental. A CV riddled with mistakes can create doubts about your attention to detail. Always proofread thoroughly or ask someone else to review it for you.
Redundant Phrases: Avoid using redundant phrases, such as "future plans" (plans are already future-oriented) or "end result"(result inherently signifies an end), to enhance the clarity and precision of your writing.
Tip: Employ digital tools, but never underestimate the power of a human eye. Thoroughly proofread your CV to exorcise all linguistic ghosts.
Many CVs fall prey to vague descriptions, resembling the padded presence of your actual accomplishments. Bring your CV back from the dead by providing more than mere duties and include genuine achievements. Quantify your impact, by providing tangible evidence of your skills and experience. Instead of stating responsibilities focus on results, numbers and specifics add weight to your narrative, painting a better picture of your contributions.
For example, instead of saying that you were ‘responsible for driving traffic to the company website’, you could say, ‘drove 10,000+ traffic to the website resulting in 360+ sales.’ The difference here being that one is an achievement demonstrating exact information of how the candidate performed in the role. Use quantifiable achievements whenever possible to demonstrate your impact.
Tip: Use action verbs pared with quantifiable achievements. For example, ‘Boosted sales by 30% through targeted marketing strategies,’ speaks louder than a generic ‘Handled marketing responsibilities.’
In an attempt to impress hiring managers, some CVs draw out explanations resulting in irrelevant details, a grave mistake that dilutes your professionalism. Make sure to tailor you CV to the duties required, ensuring each word resonates with the job you’re hunting. Exclude unrelated job experiences and keep personal information like hobbies to a minimum unless they clearly relate to the role, or you can see that they link to the companies’ culture or purpose. Recruiters won’t spend lots of time analysing every CV, so keeping the clutter helps them get to the relevant information faster.
Tip: Prioritise relevance. Every detail should reinforce your suitability for the role. If it doesn’t, exorcise it from your CV.
A cardinal sin in CV crafting is having a one size fits all template, and failing to customise based on the role, generic CVs are like phantoms haunting the desks of recruiters. Tailor your CV for each application, aligning your skills and experiences with the job’s requirements. While much of the information of your CV will be the same as you no doubt will apply for similar roles in the industry you wish to break into, it’s remains important to address the specific needs of the employer, proving that you’re the missing piece of the puzzle.
Tip: Research the company and the role. Customise your CV by emphasising skills and experiences that directly match their needs.
CVs that stray like an endless ghost story are seldom read to the end. Simplicity is your ally, your CV should be an enchanting tale, offering enough details to captivate the recruiter without revealing all your secrets. Each sentence should be concise, carrying impactful information without overwhelming the reader. Trim the excess, ensuring every word serves a purpose. While you recruiters dread seeing a CV that is too long, beware, for a CV that’s too short is like a lost whisper in the wind, leaving potential employers missing important information. In the haunted halls of hiring, brevity mustn’t sacrifice depth. An overly concise CV can evoke suspicion, suggesting a lack of experience or accomplishments. Much like a haunted house, let your CV invite curiosity, leaving the reader eager to explore further, gaining you that interview.
Tip: Find the middle ground: your CV should be captivating, providing sufficient details to engage the reader without laying bare all your secrets. Be concise, intriguing the reader while ensuring they are keen to explore your professional journey further.
In the world of job applications, your CV wields significant power. By steering clear of these pitfalls, your CV evolves from a mere document into a captivating story of your professional expertise. May your CV captivate recruiters, guiding you to a career as exciting as a house on Halloween night, giving out chocolate bars.
Thanks for your interest in what we do here at FIND. We love meeting and helping amazing kiwis every day and will always do our best for our clients and candidates. We've been simplifying the recruitment game since 2008, so don't hesitate to get in touch if you need our help!
