3 CV Mistakes That Might Disqualify You For That Job

Imagine this, you come across a job advertisement for a position you feel you qualify for, and you craft a professional CV and then submit your application. You are now waiting for that call to invite you for an interview.

Two weeks after the deadline, nothing comes. Then it’s a month and it’s clear you were not among the shortlisted candidates. What could have been wrong? You ask.

Well, your CV might have disqualified you making the recruiter choose a different candidate over you. Even when you believe you are well qualified for a particular job, your CV could give the recruiter or employer a bad perception of you.

Your well-written CV is the first impression an employer will have of you when applying for a role. It’s a critical document that should highlight your experience and qualifications for the job.

However, making some common mistakes in your professional history could mean it gets passed over or disqualified before your application is fully considered. Here are three mistakes to avoid if you want to keep your CV in the running:

1. Poor Formatting and Structure

Presentation is extremely important when it comes to CVs. Recruiters and hiring managers have to review hundreds, if not thousands, of CVs when filling open positions. So, yours needs to be easy to read and visually appealing so it stands out from the crowd.

However, surveys show that around 30% of job seekers fail to format their resumes properly. Things like inconsistent formatting, overly small or large fonts, unclear sections, and photos or graphics that don’t add value can quickly turn off the recruiters.

Take the time to format your curriculum vitae with clear headings in consistent font size and style. Use bullet points, white space, and a simple color scheme or template to make the information easy to scan.

A sloppy, disjointed structure could mean your CV gets disqualified before your qualifications are evaluated.

2. Irrelevant Experience or Gaps

Your CV should clearly showcase the experiences and skills that are most relevant to the job you’re applying for. Including irrelevant information will put you at a disadvantage with the hiring managers. For example, if applying for a marketing role, there’s no need to discuss unrelated retail or hospitality jobs from years ago.

Similarly, any large gaps or periods of unemployment need to be explained concisely to avoid raising red flags.

Instead, highlight your latest 2-3 roles, responsibilities, and achievements that are tailored to the requirements.

If you were out of work, offer a brief reason like “spent time caring for a family member.” Irrelevant information or unexplained gaps could lead recruiters to assume a lack of relevant qualifications and discard your application early on.

3. Typos, Grammatical Errors and Factual Inaccuracies

Simple spelling or grammatical mistakes on a CV are a major turn-off for employers. Even one or two errors call your attention to detail and professionalism into question.

Likewise, any factual inaccuracies regarding dates, roles, responsibilities, or achievements should be thoroughly checked. Remember, employers expect a CV to be professionally presented with no errors since it demonstrates your written communication abilities.

Take the time to carefully proofread your CV multiple times, have others review it, and even use spell and grammar-checking tools. Basic errors that could have been easily caught will likely result in an automatic rejection before a human even evaluates your qualifications.

In conclusion, a CV is your key opportunity to market yourself to potential employers. But simple mistakes can undermine your chances before your qualifications are fully assessed.

With competition for roles today, taking the time to perfect your CV is essential to standing out from other candidates and keeping your application in the running.

Invest in our Professional CV Writing Services to help you get an error-free CV primed to progress to the next stage.