A Curriculum Vitae is almost like a right of passage when applying for jobs in the UK. You’re always being told to keep yours updated and add to it when you can - and this is for good reason. Employers need to see what you’re all about before they bring you on board.
We caught up with the careers team for the top ways people let themselves down on their CVs. Take a peek and see if you’re guilty:
- Not putting contact details on - how can they ring you if you've left off your phone number?
- Not relating skills and experience to the job you're applying for – you have limited space, so make sure the skills you list in your CV are suitable for the job you're applying for
- Having too many pages - try and keep your CV on two A4 pages or less. Employers want to be able to look through and get a good idea of who you are and what you can do without reading an essay
- It could be anyone’s CV – there could be lots of applicants with the same qualifications, so what makes you stand out from others?
- No use of capital letters – try and make sure everything on your CV is grammatically correct. If English isn't your strong point, then always get someone to check it over before you send it anywhere
- Spellings - run your CV through a spell checker to make sure what you have written is spelt right!
- Not putting current post/education at the top - you need to pop your most recent and relevant employment at the top, and keep your CV in date order.
- Copy and pasting from Internet templates without adapting the content at all! You'll always get caught, and it will be a bit awkward when you get the job and the employer realises you lied in your CV
- No attention to detail - spelling mistakes, wrong dates, no dates, etc – you want your CV to look as professional as possible, and one of the easiest ways to do that is to make sure that all the small details are covered, including your spelling!
Don't forget to speak to the careers team in either Info Zone if you need some help with your CV.
