6 Things Hiring Managers Don’t Want To See on Your CV

Enough can never be said about the importance of having a good CV when you are applying for jobs. Tailoring your CV to fit the job you are applying for is by far the most important thing you need tro consider before you send in an application.

If you never seem to hear from recruiters even after applying for almost all postitions in their organization, kindly conduct the 10-Step CV Critique to determine if your CV meets the standards that hiring managers want.

That being said, here are 6 things that recruiters don’t want to see on your CV.

Related: Kenyan CV Format. Best CV Sample 

1. Using Vague Time Periods for jobs

Most HR managers don’t take it well when a candidate writes vague years alongside a job. What they expect is that you are as specific as possible to avoid looking like you are hiding something from them.

Make sure you have clear explanations for everything on your resume before going for job interview and anything that the employer might draw your attention to explain further details.

2. Using Stale Words/Phrases

There’s nothing more disappointing for an employer than a CV that looks as if it has just been lifted from another person’s CV. The truth is that a stale CV can be felt and employers are always on the lookout for fresh CV’s that are specifically tailored for them.

Ensure that the language you use is colourful, dynamic and engaging in order to capture their attention.

If you are using flat words such as ‘Go-Getter’, ‘Team- Player’, ‘Detail Oriented’, you can pretty much be sure that the person reading your CV is going to lose interest very quickly and it’s going to come across as if you were just being lazy when writing and uncreative.

To avoid this, engage your friends and ask them for their honest opinion about your resume. You can also seek a professional’s advice and input. Click here for Professional CV Writing & Coaching.

3. Not following basic directions

Make sure that you are paying careful attention to all the details of the job advert. Everything from the Email subject you should use, how long your CV & Cover letter should be.

You want to ensure that you start off on the best foot and show your potential employer that you can execute simple tasks.

4. Poor Spelling & Grammar

Having a CV full of grammatical errors is a definite sign that your CV is going to end up in the trash items.

That said, proof read your CV and cover letter thoroughly! This is non negotiable when it comes to job applications.

5. Not having relevant job experience

Most can confess having applied for jobs they were not qualified for. However, a lack of experience is going to be something pretty obvious to recruiters and hiring managers.

From their perspective, they prefer hiring candidates with relevant work experience and they prefer professional abilities related to the job they are looking to fill.

This does not necessarily mean that you cannot get a job without relevant work experience, but you need to be very good at communicating your marketable skills.

Make it clear what you can do for the company.

6. Using Subjective Language

Once you notice that you are writing job descriptions in your CV that sound like they are more of opinions than facts, it’s very hard for an employer not to see that.

Instead of writing opinions and providing a vague picture of what you did, you can offer more substantial facts about what you did at your former work place.

Use active numbers that quantify what you did and how you did it.

E.g. you can say that in the last month, you worked on 3 creative pitches where you designed 4 options that were aimed at addressing client needs.

Let the employer have some details about what you did in previous job. It’s much more professional and an ultimate selling point.

Related: Is Your CV Worthy Of The Current Job Market?

What areas are you struggling in when coming up with a good CV? Leave a comment below.

Click here to speak to a HR expert.

Susan is a Communications Officer at Career Point Kenya. Email: susan@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke