The first contact between a job seeker and a potential employer is their CV. Hence, when you make certain CV mistakes, you are sabotaging the good first impression you can make to land you an interview.
There are a thousand and one reasons why you may be searching for a new job. Popular reasons include:
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Career advancement: This is a job search resulting from the inherent desire to further your career and take on more responsibilities.
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Job dissatisfaction: This could be in terms of the job itself or your work environment. Either way, you probably don’t want to spend the rest of your life working in an inconducive environment or doing a job you don’t enjoy. So, you should apply for a potentially more satisfying job.
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Location: If you are about to relocate to a new city, region, or country, you would probably be looking to get a new job in that area to keep making progress.
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Layoffs or downsizing: Being laid off isn’t the end of the world. In fact, it’s an opportunity to show your previous employers that they made a huge mistake in letting you go. So stop brooding! Let’s go get an even better job.
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Better compensation packages: Assuming you are an employee at a startup, and a friend who is also an employee updates you that he is earning three times your salary in another company. Amazing stuff, right?
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Life changes: You may be looking for a new job because of changes in your personal lives, such as marriage, having children, etc. For instance, a nursing mother may be on the lookout for remote jobs so she can look after her baby while earning extra income.
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New challenge: Probably you are the star in your current place of employment, and you are yearning for more challenging tasks. You could search for a new job or workplace that will push you to your limits.
Searching for an ideal job is easy; applying for it is even easier; but landing it? Well, that’s the hard part. The recruitment process is often a long one, and it is necessary that you pass the first step with flying colors. Even if you are comparatively the most qualified candidate, one seemingly small mistake on your CV could cost you a job interview.
Common CV Mistakes you must Avoid
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Typographical and grammatical errors: A carelessly prepared CV with spelling and grammar errors sends all possible wrong signals to your potential employers. It moves your chances of being hired from 50 percent to zero percent. Hence, it is vital that you proofread your CV. You can make use of online proofreading tools such as Grammarly, etc.
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Information Overload : Unless you aim to bore your potential employers with irrelevant information, you should focus on highlighting your specific achievements or skills that make you qualified and capable of performing the duties that will be required of you. Redundancy and over-information is one of the CV mistakes you really should drop this year, if you want to land yourself an interview
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Not tailoring the resume: A generic resume that is not tailored to the specific job or company that you are applying for shows that you haven’t taken the time to research the company and job position, and it is a major turnoff to potential employers.
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Lying or exaggerating on a resume: This is a no-brainer. No one wants to hire a dishonest worker. Even if you are able to miraculously pass the screening stage and get hired with a falsified CV, your nemesis may catch up with you sometime down the line.
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Incorrect or missing contact information: This is arguably the most hilarious mistake you can make. You obviously sent in your CV to land yourself an interview. But then you make a mistake in your contact information or forget to input it altogether. Tell me, how on earth will your potential employer reach out to you to invite you for an interview? More so, it will be a huge turn-off to your potential employers, as it will paint you as an individual prone to making unnecessary mistakes.
Please note: Never add your contact information to the header portion of a Word document or paste your contact information in as an image. Your contact information will be shown in the system as missing or incomplete because applicant tracking systems (ATS) cannot read that data.
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Not including a cover letter: Last but definitely not least, a cover letter provides an opportunity for you, as an applicant, to explain why you are interested in a particular job and give reasons why you believe you are qualified for the position. Thus, it is usually a major deciding factor for many employers. Think of it as the icing on a cake. It makes the cake look more attractive to potential consumers.
Avoiding the CV mistakes above will exponentially increase your chances of landing an interview for your dream job.