A well-written CV makes a good impression on recruiters or potential employers and has a huge impact on the way you look for a job. Crafting an effective job application takes time and dedication. Quite often, great candidates fail in their job search by making mistakes in their CV.
I have compiled a list of 50 pitfalls:
1. Spelling mistakes
2. Grammar errors
3. Inserting a photo
4. A small text size
5. A strange text font
6. Use of several font types
7. Section titles are not head-lighted
8. Use of simplistic terminology
9. Word repetition
10. Overuse of the personal pronoun “I”
11. Writing in the third person about oneself
12. Messy page transition
13. Crazy CV background
14. Large unbroken paragraphs
15. Unclear delimitation of CV sections
16. Using images or logos
17. Not adding all contact details
18. Including your nickname/alias
19. Ridiculous email address
20. Ridiculous Skype ID
21. Entering a wrong phone number
22. Missing adaptation of your application
23. Missing summary section
24. Ridiculous summary section
25. Not including the education section
26. Lies about the education
27. Lack of evidence of your skills, performance or experiences
28. Too many details in irrelevant roles
29. Exaggerated claims, like “The best IT Recruiter in Eastern Europe”
30. No information about the job responsibilities and duties
31. Focus on duties and not on performance
32. Lies about job responsibilities and duties
33. Skills graphs
34. The CV does not contain the keywords from the job description/ad
35. Including salary details
36. Including expected salary
37. Writing the reasons for leaving any former job
38. Ignoring CV gaps
39. Not explaining CV gaps
40. Using cliches
41. Having no explanation for the frequent phases of unemployment
42. Job hopping
43. Strange hobbies
44. Including reference details
45. A too short CV (half a page)
46. A too long CV (15 pages)
47. Sending the CV in a non-editable form
48. Sending the CV in an illegible form
49. Hilarious CV file naming
50. Not double-checking your CV before sending it
Improve your resume on an up-to-date basis and let your application stand out from the crowd.