CV & application mistakes to avoid
So you’re writing your CV, you’ve laid it out well, put all your relevant experience and qualifications together and you’re ready to apply for your dream job! But hold on, before you start applying for jobs, take a moment to check to make sure that you haven’t been making these common CV mistakes.
Sorry, who are you?
You should put your name at the very top of the CV, in bold, and maybe even one font size higher than the rest of the CV. As well judging your skills and experience, you want your potential employer to remember your name. You don’t need to write CV or Curriculum Vitae at the top, it’s already quite obvious that that is what it is!
Giving the wrong impression
As well as your name you should include your contact details so that the hirer or recruiter can contact you. This includes your email address, but it’s important that your it is appropriate for a potential new employer. Something like joseph.king1@youremail.com is fine, but hotblondie20@mymail.com is much less likely to be taken seriously. If you’re still using the email address you created as a joke when you were 13 years old, perhaps it’s time to consider creating a new one for things like this!
Not checking
In our busy lives we often like things to be done quickly, so you might be tempted to not check through your CV. After all, there’s probably no mistakes in it, right? Well actually, there probably is. Spelling mistakes can easily be spotted and sorted with spell checker on things like MS Word, as can grammar issues. However, not everything is picked up and sometimes your wording might not give the emphasis that you want. Go through it once, then again. If your spelling and grammar is not your strong suit, then get a friend to check it for you.
Stop using Comic Sans
The font is another important part of the CV, some common fonts like Comic Sans are just not designed for a professional CV. Use more standard fonts like Calibri to make it easy to read.
Using all of the page
Some people worry that lots of white space on your CV is a bad thing, and that you should fill every possible area of the page with text. This isn’t the case, don’t fear the gaps! A well-presented CV can have areas of white space on the paper. It actually makes it easier and more appealing to read than a CV that’s crammed with thousands of words. Keep your CV down to only relevant information that your employer will want to read about.
Forgetting to attach your CV or Cover Letter
After all the work you have put in, it can be a nightmare when you submit your application and realise you forgot to attach your Cover Letter, or even worse, your actual CV! Now all the recruiter has is your name and an email address, and you look like a bit of a numpty! While it’s easily done, it shouldn’t happen. Rather than rushing through your application, take the time to make sure your CV and any other documents have attached properly before sending.
Addressing the hirer
While this may be another obvious one, make sure that you have found the name of the relevant hiring manager and spell their name correctly. Miss Stones doesn’t want to be called Miss Jones, Miss Stines, or even Mr Stones! Just make sure that you spell her name correctly. If you’re not sure, go onto the company website or check on LinkedIn!
