When looking for a job, the image that we project towards the interviewer or possible employer is becoming more multi-channel, which means that it is no longer enough to just send the CV to a firm; parallel efforts, such as keeping the CV up to date, and also required is a completed LinkedIn profile. Making your CV as visually appealing as possible is usually a good idea, because it’s frequently one of the first things that people notice about you when you apply for a job.
There are so many bad resume examples out there and here are what are found in most of them:
1. Being Irresponsible
This is the most common error job hopefuls make: they hardly put any effort in making the resume appealing. They pay little attention to the finer points. They are sluggish!” say experts, who claim that they have seen far too many resumes with errors in grammar and formatting (even if you think something is humorous, avoid using it on your CV), as well as material that is obsolete or irrelevant.
2. Summaries That Are Excessively Lengthy
According to professional recruiters, if you decide to add a summary at the beginning of the document (something that is required if you are applying for a position), avoid making it too long, writing it in an extremely official tone, or using too many adjectives in it. “As you grow in your industry and as your expertise in different skills, even short summaries will end up being a long chapter of your own book. When listing key accomplishments, use a bullet point that says something like “known to achieve X, Y, and Z.””
3. Provide An Explanation For The Obvious.
“Stop making the obvious obvious!” a recruiter expresses himself. If you have a phone number or an email address, you don’t have to include the prefixes “mobile phone,” “home phone,” or “email” in front of it. It is probable that the individual who reads your resume has some prior knowledge in these areas and will be able to extrapolate what each of the items on your list is.
4. The Dreaded “Reference” Line
Don’t make a valuable resume less useful by include the dreaded “references available” line. Employers are well aware of the importance of asking for references. Preserve valuable space by including your own brand or including your LinkedIn URL in that particular location
5. Begin A Point With The Standard “Responsible For” Phrase.
It is another lazy attitude that recruiters have seen on too many resumes: beginning a bullet point with the phrase “responsible for” is another example of a poor mentality. The fact that a line begins with ‘responsible for’ informs the reader of the anticipated work requirements, but does not imply that the individual has actually executed those responsibilities, is something candidates should be aware of when writing their resumes. It does not necessarily imply that the applicant has been successful in these positions, though. Avoid being sluggish and spend a few additional minutes explaining what you did rather than what you were supposed to do.
6. There Are Too Many ‘In-Style’ Terms.
In other words, the conventional resume lingo, such as the expressions “being proactive, being a team player, and being an amazing communicator,” replies to the standardized elements that employers want. In other words, they will most likely expect you to provide them with all of the aforementioned necessities. When it comes to their CV, a person who actually is “a unique problem solver who works well in a team” will clearly and artistically represent this notion via the use a combination of few words and graphics.
7. Adopting A Too Formal Tone
Finally, experts assert that resumes are difficult to read when they are unappealing and do not provide the reader with a feeling of the applicant’s unique style or characteristics. As a result, using common sense, you may strive to be imaginative without being overly casual.
8. Don’t Go Overboard
To try and take your CV up a notch, it’s tempting to stuff it with as much information as possible, including all of your job experience (even if it’s unnecessary), and be creative with the facts. The fact is that recruiters only spend 5-7 seconds glancing at a CV before moving on. To put it another way, you should consider of it as an opportunity to demonstrate your communication abilities by narrowing down your material to the most critical facts rather than include everything and the kitchen sink.
As an alternative, carefully study the job description and determine what information is genuinely relevant to the position. Then make a list of key terms, skills, projects, and tasks that you’ve worked on that are relevant to the position and fill in the blanks with your previous experience. You should aim to restrict your CV to one page, with standard page margins, a font size between 10 and 12 points, and line spacing between single and double-spaced lines.
These are the 8 points that we would like you to keep in your mind before you design your CV or before submitting an old CV of yours that has been doing rounds for quite some time without fruitful results. The candidate should also understand that skills are the most important and valuable assets to a company so a precise description of how your skills are relevant and important to that particular opening in the company will go a long way and this can also reduce the chances of you being rejected straightaway.
