The biggest CV mistakes

I was on the panel of a recent Live Q&A on CVs and covering letters, organised by Guardian Careers, when one of my fellow panelists, Rowan Manahan (of Fortify Services) asked this question:

“What are the 3 most common reasons you chuck a CV in the bin – or tell your client that it will be chucked in the bin, if you are a CV writer rather than a recruiter?

In other words, what are the biggest no-nos on a CV?

It’s a very good question. There’s so much advice on how to write a good CV, and pretty much all of it is consistent.

- your CV has to be on no more than two pages of A4
- you must have a clear layout allowing vital information to be prominent
- include lots of white space
- be consistent with your fonts etc, etc

Otherwise your CV probably won’t make it to a second reading.

In my experience, all that advice is great. It helps you to stand out as a candidate, as clearly you know what your major selling features are, and how to present these most effectively.

But, but…

If you break these rules, does it mean your CV automatically gets chucked in the bin?

Not necessarily.

In a straw poll of three, the biggest CV no-no’s were these:

- poor grammar and spelling
- too generic (not relevant or tailored to the role)
- too long (over three pages)

(You can read Rowan’s incisive thoughts here.)

As long as you avoid the three biggest (and most common) CV mistakes, you’re in with a better-than-average chance of making it to the “maybe” pile.

Photo credit: psd