The most common mistakes in a CV

When you decide to respond to a job offer, the first thing that instinctively comes to mind doing is to slavishly list all the experiences, without skimming, and above all putting together as much material as possible in order to send the resume quickly, believing that in this case you have a competitive advantage over others. In reality, writing a correct CV implies that you follow certain rules and that you are careful not to make some basic mistakes: to help you compile a perfect curriculum vitae, we have listed the ten most common mistakes that are made when writing a CV and which can jeopardize even a good application. By reading our tips carefully, you can avoid making the same mistakes, and you can get your dream job.

1. Do not reread

Writing a CV does not mean putting together information at random and, to hurry up to send it, do not reread it, leaving it as it is after the first draft. A good curriculum vitae can be said to be such only and only if it has gone through various stages of revision and rereading: this is the only way to avoid spelling and grammar errors, but also to remove all redundant information and define a document that is pleasant to read, fluent and written in correct Italian. The same logic also applies to CVs in a foreign language, also considering that each language has its own particularities that must be respected.

2. Using too many clichés

Commonplaces are good only and only if they are functional to the narrative: if you write that you are a true leader, it is good to give substance to these statements with concrete examples, results achieved and methodology. Furthermore, clichés are only good if they are used reasonably and without exaggerating: no one wants to be faced with a CV full of clichés such as “team player”, “able to solve problems”, “results-oriented”.

3. Giving incorrect or misleading information

In the eagerness to prepare a document as complete and exhaustive as possible, it is not uncommon to run into errors of judgment that can frustrate an application. When we talk about “incorrect or misleading information” we mean all those situations in which a certain work or school experience is told in an unclear way and which can give rise to misunderstandings.

4. Don’t format the document

A good curriculum vitae should be formatted, with no ifs and buts. Formatting means both the choice of the most suitable font and its width, the margins on the side and between the lines, and the use of italics and bolds. Formatting also includes the division into paragraphs of text, the possible use of a color to underline a certain passage and so on. In all cases, this is a fundamental element to make a CV attractive, complete and correct.

5. Telling lies

Lies have short legs, even when writing a CV. Especially black lies, those that concern key elements of a candidate’s experience, must be avoided at all costs both because they damage one’s reputation and because they could damage the company. In fact, if you lie about a skill that you don’t actually have, there may come a time in the company when you really need that skill and the candidate who has boasted that they actually don’t know how to deal with the problem.

No lies are tolerated but the most frequent, and very often easy to spot, are those relating to:

• Computer skills
• Language skills
• Job positions held.

6. Do not enter important keywords

A good CV speaks to both humans and machines: in fact, more and more companies are using ATS (Applicant Tracking System) software that read the CVs arrived for a specific job and, based on the presence or absence of recognizable elements, they decide who to forward and who to discard. The recognizable elements (in addition to the formatting that must be standard) are the keywords, that is words that can be extrapolated directly from the job description in the offer. Thanks to the presence of these words, the software identifies the candidate as a potentially interesting person for the company and profiles him in such a way as to pass him through the screening of selectors for a first screening. Keywords are also used by human recruiters, who are increasingly faced with many applications and to simplify the choice they quickly scan documents to find common elements.

7. Do not enter results but only a list of activities

A potentially interesting CV can be ruined by the work experience section which too often is limited to being a list of activities without substance. A very common mistake is in fact to list everything that has been done professionally without specifying what were the main results obtained and what success rate was achieved. Sometimes just entering numbers and percentages is enough to make a resume interesting that risks being boring.

8. Excess and information

A good curriculum vitae is no more than two pages long: all the most important information must be condensed into the two pages, which must be listed in such a way as to be correct and consistent (if there are holes in the professional experience, a correctly created CV can explain them thanks to the other sections). This means not adding information that has no bearing on the position you are applying for, or information on experiences.

Let’s take a concrete example: if you are applying for a job as a barista, it makes sense to include all the courses and experiences in the sector, even those acquired in the past. It does not make sense to add a photography course, even if recent, because it would add nothing to the CV and would extend it for no reason.

9. Do not choose the correct format for sending

Once revised and corrected, the CV must be saved in the correct format for sending. The PDF format is preferred for a number of reasons including the fact that it is more secure and can be read without problems. If you do not choose the correct format for sending the CV, you risk that the document ends up in the Spam folder of the recipient or that they simply will not get the visibility it could get. Never save the CV in formats other than PDF and Word (if you really want to send it in this format, for specific reasons or perhaps because it is required in the job offer) as no other format is acceptable.

10. Do not personalize your resume

Haste, we have repeated it several times, brings bad advice and most of those who apply for a job position sins in a hurry and in order to send their CV immediately, they end up make a big mistake. For each job offer to which you apply, you should create a different CV, which highlights the information required by the offer, the keywords and all the information that gives the candidate more opportunities to be selected. In fact, a good personalization allows you to bypass candidates with the same training and experience, who however have not provided information relevant to the job offer for which they are applying.

In summary

• Always reread the CV before sending it;
• Use a few clichés, and only if they are relevant and substantiated by facts;
• Always give precise information that cannot be misunderstood ;
• Format the document so that it is readable and pleasant;
• Always tell the truth, to avoid reputation problems;
• Insert keywords related to job offer for which you are applying;
• Enter the results obtained in a specific job position;
• Stay within the two pages, adding only the really relevant information;
• Save the resume in the correct and standard format for sending;
• Customize the resume for more opportunities successfull.