Have you ever wondered why you aren’t getting responses from job applications? Well fear not because here is what goes through an employers mind when a CV consists of these mistakes…
1. Spelling mistakes and bad grammar
‘Why didn’t they proof read? They don’t seem to have very good attention to detail’
Take time to read through your final CV before you send it off. Or even get somebody to read through it to help find mistakes you may not have noticed before.
2. Photograph of the candidate
‘This looks unprofessional, if I really wanted to see what they looked like, I could have searched for them online!’
Photographs are not relevant and can be seen as old-fashioned. Organisations avoid discrimination and only make decisions based on a candidates work experience, education and key skills not on what someone looks like. Also recent research states there is a 88% rejection rate for candidates who include a photo.
3. DOB is mentioned
‘This is not necessary, I’ll avoid discrimination by skipping this CV’.
Employers and recruiters may find it strange that a candidate mentions their date of birth. Therefore, to avoid bias they may stop reading the CV all together!
4. When the candidate mentions every job they’ve ever had
‘I’m not sure how some of these jobs listed are relevant to the one they are applying for’.
If you have had lots of jobs, condense your CV by only mentioning your most recent and relevant past employment. Listing every job particularly if you’ve switched careers can be confusing to potential employers. However, if you’re a graduate I would recommend any internships, part time jobs you’ve had to show you have a good work ethic.
5. When a CV is longer than two pages
‘Wow this is long, I don’t have time to read everything. Could they not have condensed it?’
Recruiters and potential employers will usually receive large volumes of applicants for each job advert. So keep it concise, to the point and avoid waffle. To ensure your CV is not disregarded.
6. A confusing layout
‘This is too hard to understand and is taking a long time to read… onto the next’
If your CV is not in chronological order or you don’t have clear headings for each section, it can become confusing and look unorganised.
7. Reading an in-depth educational timeline
‘Ok I didn’t really need to know you got a D in PE at school…’
Keep your grades straight forward especially for school qualifications. A simple ‘passes in all GCSEs’ is acceptable, including maths, science and English.
8. An unprofessional email address
‘This shows a lack of attention to detail and a sense of unprofessionalism’
Employers will usually think an unprofessional email address may reflect the candidate. Don’t let one small mistake ruin your job chances, when its so easy to create a new professional email address!
9. A lack of dates of previous employment
‘So how long were they at this job for?’
Forgetting to include employment dates may be perceived as though you are hiding something such as gaps of unemployment. Its best to be transparent and open. Also a clear timeline will enable potential employers to easily see your work history without having to work out anything for themselves.
http://www.bubble-jobs.co.uk/blog/b2b/what-employers-think-when-they-read-these-cv-mistakes/