I read many CV’s each day, in the course of performing my occupation as a head-hunter/recruiter. It amazes me how many CV’s I see, that have one or more of the following faults with them. So much so, that I thought it was time to list them down and share the benefit of my knowledge and experience, so in no particular order here they are.
Your CV is too long – CV’s should be a maximum of three pages long, preferably only two pages. Look at the volume of the content, type face/ font size and layout you are using and see what you can do to condense to two or three pages maximum.
Your CV is not relevant to the application you are making - Avoid using generic CV’s for every application you make and version the content to emphasize the aspects of your experience and knowledge, that make you an ideal applicant for advertised roles.
Your CV does not carry enough data – Clients like to see data and the more the better eg if you are a manager the headcount numbers you are responsible for (direct and indirect) – clients like to see turnover and profit numbers – numbers of sites you manage – growth figures etc etc. If you are a sales person, turnover figures, potential client names you can introduce, numbers of customers etc are all good pieces of data to include which attracts clients to want to interview you.
Your CV does not include enough information about your past and present employers – Please don’t assume someone reading your CV is immediately familiar with your list of past and present employers. Please include a link to their company web site and a brief description of what the company does and particularly the section of the company you are or were employed within and how that links you, to the application.
Your CV does not reflect you professionally enough – Yes, its true, clients really do judge a book by its cover, in that we mean how your CV looks will be taken as a reflection of you. Bad grammar and spelling immediately work against you. Choose a good type face and design layout (plenty of good templates on line to help you with that) Ensure the details of what you do, and have accomplished for past and present employers, shine through clearly and succinctly. It’s down to you to sell why someone should want to interview you, not for them to deduce for themselves. Keep the details clear, honest and relevant and easy/quick for the client to absorb. Also ensure your CV dates/details match your LinkedIn profile as many employers and recruiters will check this.
I suggest you take a long hard look at your CV especially, if you have been applying for jobs and not getting called for interview – one or more of the above points might need amending/tending to.
