7 mistakes you need to remove from your CV right now

If you’ve ever sent out your CV feeling confident, but then hear nothing back from the recruiter, there’s a good chance that you’re making one of these 7 killer CV mistakes:

Wasting space on contact details

Yes, recruiters need to know how to contact you, but in 2019 they only need a contact number and email address. Anything more than this is wasting much-needed space which you could be using to impress your recruiter instead. Your contact details should be limited to a small area at the top of your CV.

Going cliché crazy

The odd cliché isn’t going to cause too much damage. However, if reading your CV feels like you’re reeling them off, then the recruiter may not only find it a bit tedious, but also deem them ingenuine.

Using huge blocks of text

One of the most annoying parts of reviewing job applications for recruiters is receiving a CV which is difficult to scan.

If they receive a CV with endless blocks of text, it might end up in their inbox bin. So, make sure to leave plenty of white space between CV sections and use bold text, bullet points and headings to ensure it’s easy to navigate. 

Including a profile photo

Unless you’re applying for a job that is related to how you look, such as a model, there is no need to include a photo. In fact, nowadays, many recruiters will find it a bit strange – it is a job application, not an online dating profile, after all!

Using crazy fonts and colours

You might be tempted to add some creative fonts or colours to make your CV stand out, but this isn’t a good idea as it can often look unprofessional. Crazy colour schemes also distract from your CV’s content and can make text difficult to read. Keep it muted in black, white and grey.

Writing more than two pages

The golden rule for the length of a CV is to never go over two pages, as recruiters will take one look at it and think ‘I don’t have time to read all of this’ – yep, really!

Your CV should be easy for them to quickly take key information from, as most will only spend around 20 seconds scanning the document – and that strictly means sticking to two sides of A4.

Not tailoring for the role

The final but very important CV mistake that you should avoid, is not tailoring your application to the role you are applying for.

Many applicants ruin their job chances by writing one CV and sending it out for all the different sales jobs that they apply for. By doing this, there is no way of impressing the recruiter with your knowledge of the company or including the specific keywords, skills and requirements listed in the job description.

These 7 mistakes are practically guaranteed to stop you from getting the job, or even getting to interview stage, so make sure that you remove them if they are in your current CV – and avoid them in your next one!

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Andrew Fennell is the founder of CV writing advice website StandOut CV – he is a former recruitment consultant and contributes careers advice to websites like Business Insider, The Guardian and FastCompany.

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