It’s always great to get the inside info… a proper insight into what employers are looking for in a CV.
Unfortunately, we don’t all have that uncle’s friend’s daughter who works in recruitment and who’s willing to check out our CV to see if it’s up to speed with the working world’s demands.
We’ve already had a look at the nine words you SHOULDN’T put on your CV, today we’re getting the pros’ advice, according to Mashable.com, on the little things on a CV that can grind their gears and, ultimately, put your chance of getting the job at a very big risk.
1. Small Fonts
Think you should make the font even smaller so you can squish more about your brilliance on to the page? Wrong. Size 10 is the smallest font you should go and even that’s too small for some fonts. If your reader needs to take out his monocle to read your CV, it’s a bad sign.
2. Nondescript Objectives
What do you want to bring to the company? If your CV is wishy-washy and you can’t come up with something unique and engaging, try again.
3. Formatting Problems
If you don’t have an updated Microsoft Word, try and find someone who does. New systems won’t always be able to read your own CV and if you’ve spent hours setting out paragraphs and titles, they could be messed up too.
4. Coloured Paper
It could sound like a great idea to get your CV to stand out from the crowd but it’s not. Unless you’re in the creative industry and your CV is amazing, don’t do it.
Forget about being arty with coloured paper and make sure you follow the rules.
5. Follow The Rules
If they ask for a CV, send it. If they ask for a CV and a cover letter, send it. If they ask for a CV, cover letter and a photo of you doing handstands on a beach, you send it.
6. Watch Your Tenses
If you did a job in the past, use the past tense. It makes for easier reading and it’s grammatically correct too.
7. A Bad Title
If you’re attaching your CV to an email, make sure it’s saved as something professional. Your name and the letters CV after is perfect. If you’re saving it as “CV5final”, it’s just so obvious you’ve either edited it five times or else it’s the fifth job you’re applying for.
8. No Photos
There is no need for photos, full stop, unless they’re requested.
9. Not Listing Dates And Details
List the dates you’ve started and ended each job. Employers are looking for continuity and want to know about your commitment.
