Like ‘em or loathe ‘em, the reality is that unless the job market and recruitment sector revolutionises somewhat, the old fashioned CV Is here to stay.

And after all, there is lots of information out there on how to create a standout CV, how it can make a good impression and how you can make your CV the creme de la creme of CVs…so if they stay then so be it!

All CVs are not equal however – so we thought we ought to highlight a few of the most common mistakes which are made on CVs and thereby highlight the most common mistakes which recruiters and HR teams face when shortlisting for a role…

Spelling Mistakes

Surely in tis day an age peple can use spel chek to make sure there CV reads well? Okay, point made rather crassly admittedly. After all, we aren’t all A* writers and spellers. In fact, this article will have to be proofed one or two times, before it is published and even then the odd mistake may make its way through.  However, a stream of constant spelling mistakes on a CV is a representation of the care (or lack of it) that you have given when writing it. If you aren’t that confident in your spelling abilities, why not get your friends, family or careers adviser, and the infamous ‘spell check’ to check your CV for mistakes. Do this and you should find that the majority of silly errors will not fall through the cracks.

Not identifying key words / skills

A CV is your chance, your opportunity to tell a recruiter or an employer, why you should be employed. This is your window of opportunity, so don’t let yourself down by omitting the keywords that recruiters will look out for. Keep thinking of the key skills and experience which are essential if you are going to be shortlisted for a particular role. As long as you have that experience or skill, you should ensurethat it is clearly labelled on your CV.

No real detail

Thinking that a recruiter or potential employer can read between the lines is a common mistake. Don’t assume that someone will know what you do, just because you add a job title. Use succinct bullet points to highlight your experience and key job duties – there is no need to write an essay after all.

Bad design

Ahhhh! Pet hate perhaps, however using borders, fussy graphics, countless different fonts and well… just assuming that your CV is your opportunity to get uber-creative is generally a really bad idea. Of course there are exceptions to this – in fact we’ve previously highlighted some pretty innovative CVs. However, as a general rule, unless you have amazing talent or creative ability – stay clear of the fancy stuff!

Unprofessional email addresses

We’ve all been there – especially when we’ve been young and perhaps at college or university. We think of some really funny or ironic or ‘cool’ email address. That address does its job for the entire duration of our academic life. Then comes the time that we have to get a proper job…

A cardinal sin is to keep using that now cringeworthy, crass and often unprofessional email address. Having such an email address on a CV or worse still, emailing an employer or recruiter from it and expecting to impress, is a major mistake!