Davis advises against sending your CV to a high number of agencies
If your CV is not up to standard it could stop you from landing that job interview.
Few people would turn up on their first day of a new job wearing ripped jeans and flip-flops. But plenty of people do the job-hunting equivalent of dressing like a slob by having a CV that's poorly presented or full of mistakes. This could make the difference between being invited for an interview or not.
"Employers receive hundreds of CVs per vacancy, so it’s important to have a CV that is well-structured, concise and easy to follow to ensure your application is not overlooked,” says Clive Davis, a director of recruitment firm Robert Half.
"Candidates who submit CVs with [spelling] or grammatical errors may be seen as lacking professionalism and attention to detail, which may spoil their chances for an interview or further consideration.
"Glaring errors are more likely to get your CV overlooked in favour of another candidate, as they may be taken as an indication of undesirable qualities in a potential employee," Davis says.
The most common CV mistakes, says Sophie Reed from recruitment firm Walker Hamill, are adding a big covering letter, making the CV too wordy and incorrect dates.
Job seekers from overseas often over-emphasise their education, devoting an entire page to academic information and extra-curricular achievements at school, thinking UK-based employers may not understand education back home. But you don’t have to do this. Nor should you be too brief.
"A lot of people try to squidge their life onto one piece of paper, which isn't necessary," Reed says. Glaring errors won't necessarily get you rejected, she says, and if the CV’s content is OK the odd spelling mistake could be overlooked.
However, "a disjointed CV and mistakes will count against you," she says. If you have arrived in the UK recently and are looking for work, your CV will be critical when approaching recruitment firms.
Davis advises against sending your CV to a high number of agencies as it could be forwarded several times for the same job, making you and the agency look unprofessional. Instead, he suggests you concentrate on an agency specialising in your field.
Reed says it could be worth submitting your CV to several agencies, but then work with the first three that respond and try to build a rapport with individual recruitment agents.
» See www.walkerhamill.com and www.roberthalf.co.uk
Do
- Highlight early on the skills and knowledge you have that are relevant to the role to make your CV stand out.
- Ensure your CV is tailored to the specific job you're applying for.
- Start with a short objective summary of who you are, but avoid clichés like 'excellent self-starter'.
- Put your career history in reverse, with your most recent job first.
- Highlight any achievements you may have accomplished.
- List your skills and qualities in the present tense.
- Use bullet points.
- Give reasons if you have moved around a bit.
- Check spelling, grammar and dates.
Don't
- Don't use gimmicks like funky colours or pictures of yourself.
- Don't list your desired salary, unless asked — you could under sell your worth or price yourself out of the job.
- Don't list your marital status.
