CV’s provide an overview of your career life and are also a means of marketing yourself to employers. Even if it is the perfect CV you may probably be making the following mistakes
1. Your CV reads like a job description.
True, there are similarities, but there are also distinct differences. If you write, “Responsible for sales in Nairobi County,” that tells nothing about what you accomplished. It tells what you should have done, but not what you actually did.
2. Another CV Writing Mistake. There are no numbers on your CV.
Numbers bridge corporate cultures. If you write, “Increased revenue,” that’s a good thing. If you write, “Increased revenue by 25 percent over a three-year period,” then that tells me a lot more about what you did. How many people did you supervise? How big was the budget you managed? By what percent did you increase efficiency? How many clients did you have?
3. Your formatting only works on your computer.
Not everyone uses the same word processing program that you do, meaning your formatting may not translate. Check how your CV appears in Microsoft Word, Open Office, Google Docs and any other common program before you email it. Formatting problems make you look sloppy even if your CV was perfect when you hit send.
4. CV Writing Mistake. It’s too long or too short.
No, there isn’t a secret, perfect length for a CV. But if you’re a new college grad with two full pages, you’ll look pretentious. And if you’re someone with 15 years of experience with everything crammed onto one page, you’ll look like you haven’t done anything.
The point is, figure out what is standard for your industry and your time working. The general guideline is one page for new grads, two pages for experienced employees, and extra pages for people with publications.
Take a second look at you CV and get rid of these mistakes.
