5 Common CV Mistakes Which Could Stop you Getting the Job

by Marta Fabiani Career Advice, Staffing and Recruitment Advice

How many of these are you guilty of? Fix them now to make sure you're standing out for the RIGHT reasons.

At Off to Work, we receive a lot of CV’s. Some are great, some are fine and some, to be frank, could do with a little work. It can be really difficult to sit down and get started writing a CV, especially if it’s your first one and there are lots of unwritten ‘rules’ flying around the internet. Should your CV fit exactly on two pages? Should it be word or PDF? Should you include a picture, or shouldn’t you?

Well… truth is, none of that really matters. But we’ve made a list of the most common mistakes (or things that could be improved) so that you can make sure that you DON’T make them.

1. Oversharing is not caring.

One of the best CV’s we ever received had written right at the top:

"Marital Status: Married to Denise"

We thought this was absolutely fabulous, not only was this man happily married, but he was so proud to be Denise’s husband he had given it top priority on his CV. Not every hiring manager feels this way though and we would all agree that personal information is best kept to a minimum to make room for hard facts.

Equally if your personal statement is so long it could actually be published by Bloomsbury we probably won’t read it all. Sorry. we just don’t have time to find out about what you were up to in the summer of 2002.

2. Applying without leaving your contact details.

You would be seriously surprised if you knew how many great applicants we have to discard because their contact number is either out of date or non-existent.

This causes us great pain because we are ‘recruiting’ not ‘mind reading’ so no matter how good your experience is, no number = no call.

If this is you, please stop reading this article and Usain Bolt over to your computer to change it. Right now.

3. Choosing the wrong picture

5-common-cv-mistakes-to-avoid-nicholas-cage You may think you look extra tanned and toned in the picture on the beach, Mojito in hand but we don’t have to be the ones to tell you that it’s not exactly professional.

Unless you’re applying specifically for the position of toned, tanned Bartender, of course.

Some of our favourite no no’s include:

Cutting most of your mate out but leaving part of their arm or other anatomy in the corner of the picture

Posed on stairs, chairs, leaning up walls etc.

Having sunglasses on (yes, really.)

Passport photos / mugshots / similar.

Basically, if you want a photo on your CV, you need to work out how to show your personality professionally. Difficult but do-able.

4. No Dates

This is a frustrating one, because above all having dates on your CV helps recruiters and hiring managers to determine how ready you are for progression.

You might *think* you are the best assistant on the planet, but if you have only been doing the job for a few weeks then the chances are, you probably still have a lot to learn.

If your CV lacks dates and your experience is relevant to the job then we will still call you because I like to be surprised. Some employers won’t bother, for fear of wasting their time, so best not to take that chance.

Number 5: Lying

I don’t even think this really deserves a paragraph. If you lie on your CV, you will be found out.

It’s the worst,

Please don’t do it.

I hope you found this somewhat useful, and if not, then we hope it made you smile!

Oh, and if you are a chef, restaurant manager, waiter, waitress, hospitality professional or a really cool office / operations assistant …. Call us or visit our website to see how you can join our team!