5 Most Common Warning Signs Your CV Needs Improvement

Nancy was excited to start applying for new job opportunities after being laid off from her role as an account manager two months ago. She spent a week trying to come up with a professional CV  that highlighted her skills and qualifications.

However, after applying to over 15 positions with no responses, she was starting to get discouraged. She knew she had valuable experience from her 5 years in marketing and sales, so she couldn’t understand why employers weren’t contacting her for interviews.

That’s when she decided to take a close look at her resume with a fresh set of eyes, a professional CV writer who highlighted some mistakes that needed to be improved.

Here are 5 signs that Nancy’s CV needed to be worked on.

1. Lack of Tailoring to Specific Roles

Nancy tried to emphasize relevant skills and accomplishments in her CV, but she didn’t tailor it to the specific roles she was applying for.

A Professional CV should directly address the responsibilities and qualifications listed in each job description. A generic resume does not use the specific language, frameworks, or tools mentioned by potential employers.

This will likely cause your experience to fall through the cracks instead of standing out. According to resume writing experts, tailoring to 15-30% of keywords found in job postings increases your chances of getting noticed.

2. Dense Blocks of Text

Did you know that CVs with strategic use of white space, bulleting, bolding, and numbers perform 34% better in applicant tracking systems?

Though Nancyhad valuable experience, the way it was presented in her career history made it difficult for readers to process the most important details at a glance.

Recruiters typically spend 6 seconds scanning each resume, so dense paragraphs without emphasis on key points do not lend themselves to quick scanning.

3. Lack of Metrics and Numbers

Job-winning CVs often include specific numbers and metrics that quantify their impact and results. In Nancy’s case, however, the resume only described her responsibilities and successes in vague qualitative terms.

By adding hard data about your contributions, such as increased sales volumes by 15% or managed a KES 250K budget, you will be better able to communicate the tangible value she brought to previous roles.

Numbers make experiences more credible and persuasive to hiring managers.

4. Minimal Career Profile Customization

Nancy’s career profile at the top did not draw any direct connections to opportunities she was looking for.

With a personalized career profile at the top customized for each application, you can immediately show potential employers how you meet what they are looking for from the outset of their review.

5. No Recency in Experience Section

What is the order you ought to follow when outlining your skills and experiences? Your most recent experience need to be highlighted at the top in a chronological order. This is because the recruiters’ attention is  focused on your most recent qualifications.

In conclusion, while Nancy had valuable skills and qualifications to offer employers, subtle issues with how her CV was constructed were undermining her potential.

By recognizing warning signs that your CV needs improvement, you will be able to better market yourself to employers and renew your career search success. Still having trouble bringing out the best in your CV? Worry no more. Invest in our Professional CV Writing Service