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Careers experts have pin-pointed the single worst thing you can do on a CV. And at, monster.co.uk, they have revealed... it’s the sin of sloppiness.
There are a great many ways to go wrong at the CV stage, from not targeting it to the kind of job you’re looking for, to leaving out keywords and failing to list your achievements in a way the reader will find meaningful.
But the biggest error of all in putting your CV together is simply this: being sloppy.
These include spelling mistakes, failing to leave out information that could be used to discriminate against you, sending it in the wrong format or having it look messy.
Small bits of sloppiness add up quickly. They can end up getting your CV tossed into the “don’t call us, we’ll call you” pile in a flash. So here are three tips to prevent this from happening.
Don’t rely entirely on spell check when proofreading Word processing softwear is helpful for spotting spelling mistakes and glaring errors, but it’s only a computer programme and doesn’t know better. It’s always a good idea to get someone else to read your final draft and catch the errors. If you don’t have any friends or family to help, there are professionals who will do it for you.
Customise your wording to the job you’re applying for Generic CVs are a dime a dozen. You may be able to get away with a “one size fits all” approach if applying for lower paying jobs such as retail clerk or warehouse worker. But for the higher paying jobs, an employer expects you to put in some extra effort. Try your best to match the requirements listed in the job ads you’re applying for.
Send it in the proper format In our era of electronic job postings and e-CV submissions (sending your application via e-mail and online form), don’t guess which format the employer prefers. Follow their instructions on the job posting carefully. If sending directly to an employer via their e-mail, include your CV as scannable text within the body of the e-mail itself; then attach a version with nice layout and fancier fonts too, just in case they want to show it around to other staff.
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Ben G said
"Don’t rely entirely on spell check when proofreading Word processing softwear is helpful for spotting spelling mistakes and glaring errors, but it’s only a computer programme and doesn’t know better."
"Softwear". How ironic.