Top 9 CV mistakes
1. Spelling and grammatical mistakes
“Hope to hear from you shorty” , “I’m intrested to here more about that”.
Spelling mistakes is the number 1 eliminator of all applications. It says a lot about your attention to detail, your passion for presentation and commitment to service delivery levels. Always use a spell check and if possible ask an objective person to go through your CV to ensure there are no spelling mistakes.
2. Lack of specifics
“Worked with hotels/ managed projects/ was in charge of sales”
No numbers or quantifiable information to gauge targets or results.
3. Leaving out important information
No contact details, incorrect contact information
“I leave that phone with my mum, wife, cousin etc.”
4. Poor formatting
Recruiters spend an average of just 8.8 seconds reviewing each CV that they receive. Layout, inconsistent font size, lack of clarity in the information presented will eliminate your CV from the “yes” pile
5. Listing basic requirements under “Skills”
“Microsoft WORD”, “Can speak and write English fluently”.
Just know if you are invited for interview, your linguistic ability will be assessed as a requirement of the role you are applying to do.
6. Lies
7. Too many jobs over a short period of time.
Listing a number of jobs you have done is not a bad thing, it is good to list all jobs you have done during your career, but having too many jobs over a short period is a warning sign to recruiters. Maybe you have a reasonable explanation for “job hopping”, but unless you explain the reasons for your short term moves potential employers are likely to think there’s something wrong with you or your work ethics.
8. Overinflating responsibilities in the positions held.
9. Unrelated skills
When applying for a specific role, e.g Vacancy clearly states – Manager minimum 5 years of experience, CPA mandatory. The applicant is a Graduate with one-year experience and states “CPA, in progress”.
10. Inserting your peers as references in your CV.
