Top 10 CV faux pas

Top 10 CV faux pas

A study has revealed that your prospective employers only spend around 8,8 seconds reading your CV before they decide to interview you or not.

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This means it is vital that your CV shows you off in under nine seconds!

That sucks a lot, considering how much work we put into writing our CVs and making sure that they are perfect.

The research found that the top 10 faux pas in CVs are: 

1. Bad grammar
2. Spelling mistakes
3. Poor formatting
4. CV longer than 2 pages
5. Casual tone
6. Use of jargon
7. Unusual font style or size
8. Exam marks listed in full
9. Generics interested listed (steer clear of the cooking, reading, music)
10. Lack of activities related to personal development

So now that we've figured out what not to do...here are some tips to sell yourself: 

1. Keep it concise. Reams of paper are off-putting. Try keep it to a single page.
2. Stick to the traditional. Don't try stand out. One of the latest trends is an infographic to your life. Don't do that. 
3.Make it clear why they should keep reading
4. Avoid words like motivated and passionate. Don't say it, prove it.
5. Make it clear why you should be interviewed
6. Highlight your social media credentials
7. Mention your life outside work, but avoid the generic hobbies
8. Highlight skills that set you apart. If you're a great public speaker, then say it
9. Get your contact details straight. There's nothing worse than not being able to get a hold of a candidate

Well, I hope this helps on the job hunt. 

When was the last time you updated your CV?

(With thanks to independent.co.uk

 

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