Dear JobSeeker,

As someone who has traveled wide and worked closely with HR managers of several companies, I'd like to correct THREE BIG mistakes (out of many) that you are making on your CV right now that is costing you your job. And at the end, I'm also going to invite you to purchase an ebook I highly recommend that every jobseeker should have and read thoroughly - if getting a job is important to you. Now let's start.

MISTAKE #1: YOUR CV LOOKS ORDINARY AND COMMON. IT'S NOT DISTINCT AND CATCHY.

Do you remember the saying about judging a book by it's cover? It means whether or not the book has good content, if it doesn't look good on the outside, as far as you are concerned, it is not a good book. It's the same way Hiring Managers see your CVs. If it cannot catch their attention within the first 3 mins 3 secs, and make them interested in reading it a little bit more, it will be trashed - without being read. The reason you never heard from the company you applied to is most likely because your CV was never actually read because of it's appearance.

When it comes to the appearance, the most important thing is for it to be "distinct" from others. Bearing in mind that the employer would have seen many other "similar" CV templates (because nowadays, everybody just copies the same CV templates without making theirs a little different). So if an employer has rejected a previous CV with a particular template and yours arrives using the same template, yours will be rejected too - without it being read! (Trust me, I've worked closely with several HR Managers. They spend less than 5 secs reviewing your CV).

So for it to even be read at all, it as to be distinct and it has to look inviting. 93% of CVs are boring! I have seen MANY, and NONE was inviting enough to make me read it. I just deleted them. I felt I the person who sent it didn't spend time to make it excellent, so I shouldn't waste my time reading it. So to survive past that first 3-5 secs, your CV must have a uniqueness. Well-organised, different look, something to stop the hand of the employer as he is about to throw it into the trash bin.

Your CV is the FIRST and maybe the ONLY way the employer will meet you. If your CV looks dull, they see YOU as dull. If it looks ordinary, they see YOU as ordinary. If it looks excellently done, they see YOU as excellent. And if there are mistakes, then YOU are not a meticulous person. I'm saying this because I am tired of seeing people cry about unemployment when each time I travel around the country, working with several companies and I see jobs everywhere, But many jobseekers do not want to invest enough time, energy and money to prepare and present themselves the right way. YOUR CV IS A SUMMARY OF YOUR LIFE. INVEST TIME TO HAVE A GREAT ONE!

MISTAKE #2: YOUR CV'S CONTENT IS WRITTEN POORLY. IT'S DULL AND NOT COMPELLING ENOUGH

Don't tell them your "duties", "responsibilities" and "activities" in your previous experiences or school engagements. NOBODY CARES!! Tell them the RESULTS of those duties, the DISCIPLINES or SACRIFICES that went into doing them, and the ACCOMPLISHMENTS or ACHIEVEMENTS gotten afterward. That's what matters to employers! Especially if it is explained in MONETARY TERMS.

Let me give you an example, most people write like this on their CVS, "I repaired damaged printer". What?? Who cares? THAT IS DUUUUUULL! INFACT, VERY VERY DULL. Why? Employers don't care about that. It is all story. What they are thinking about is How much more MONEY can this person make for me if hired? Think like an employer! Instead of that, you write the same thing to bring out the strong points that employers want to see, "I saved N170,000 for my company by working 2-hours extra for 4 days to repair our damaged printer"

NOW YOU ARE TALKING! You see the difference? Which employer on earth can ignore someone who did that? That's compelling! THEY WILL CALL YOU, IF YOU WRITE YOUR CVS LIKE THIS. EVEN IF THERE IS NO ADVERT (aka. WHO NO LIKE BETTER THING?). Listen to this: EMPLOYERS NEED PEOPLE THAT CAN HELP THEM MAKE MORE MONEY OR SAVE MORE MONEY - NOT SOMEONE TO PAY SALARY.

MISTAKE #3: YOUR CV IS TOO LONG! YES. ANYTHING MORE THAN 1 PAGE IS TOOOO LONG!!

Except you are the CEO of World Bank, your CV MUST be ONE PAGE! Do you think employers have time to read a two page CV? Will YOU even read a 2-page CV if it was given to you? Don't you know people don't like reading anything that does not concern them? In fact, the only reason you read to this point is that this concerns you directly. If not you would have left. So always compress your CV to one page. Somethings should not be in your CV. They only take space.

THE EBOOK I SPOKE ABOUT
These are just a few tips from my inside experience with HR Managers and helping people get jobs successfully. They are so many more. I have written an ebook to show you how to find the direct email addresses of the employers and apply to them DIRECTLY (instead of using online applications and submitting CVs that hardly ever get to them) - and how to craft compelling CVs that "forces" employers to call you, and how to create a professional LinkedIn page (VERY IMPORTANT) so that employers can find you when they research you online (WHICH THEY ALWAYS DO!). And of course it is not free. It sells for N2,000.

Listen, no matter what people tell you this is the real truth: Whatever you will not personally spend your time and money on, is not important to you. If you are not willing to invest some money at all (which you spend weekly on recharge cards) to buy ONE insightful ebook that will put you before any employer, then you are still joking - seriously joking. Getting a job is not yet important to you.

For those who might be serious. Visit www.transtudentworld.com/jobhelp to see more about the inside techniques for getting a job most people don't know and how you can get a copy, and start earning a salary from the company you want. It's not compulsory. Only for those who are serious.

Thanks for reading. All the best.
Benson

PS: You may send me a mail to ben@transtudentworld.com, or call me on 08104982538. Please note that if the mail or call is not related to the ebook or to what I wrote here, I will not respond. It's the same thing I just spoke about above. If you don't say what the employer wants to hear, they will ignore you no matter what else you say.

Please correct 'writing' in mistake 2 to 'written'. Thanks.

eph12: Please correct 'writing' in mistake 2 to 'written'. Thanks.

Thanks, I've corrected it. I appreciate your help, and for taking your time to read the "Long" post.

busybenson:

Thanks, I've corrected it. I appreciate your help, and for taking your time to read the "Long" post.

Give the dude a free e-book for spotting an error in an article written by a supposedly self acclaimed widely travelled HR personnel.


Last Bullet: Nobody is above mistakes.
Cheers.

busybenson:

Thanks, I've corrected it. I appreciate your help, and for taking your time to read the "Long" post.

You see, nobody is above mistake. U would have probably bounced a job seeker if u spotted that mistake in his CV or cover letter. Let's try not to be too stern in our assessment of others. If condescending u who was trying to sell ur product could also make this mistake, what happens to us- frustrated job seekers.

Episteme2:


You see, nobody is above mistake. U would have probably bounced a job seeker if u spotted that mistake in his CV or cover letter. Let's try not to be too stern in our assessment of others. If condescending u who was trying to sell ur product could also make this mistake, what happens to us- frustrated job seekers.

You obviously don't get the point. I or any other can make a mistake on a NAIRALAND POST, and it'll cost me nothing. Make a mistake on your CURRICULUM VITAE and it'll cost you your Career. Don't leave what is major and start talking about what is minor.

Episteme2:


You see, nobody is above mistake. U would have probably bounced a job seeker if u spotted that mistake in his CV or cover letter. Let's try not to be too stern in our assessment of others. If condescending u who was trying to sell ur product could also make this mistake, what happens to us- frustrated job seekers.

You obviously don't get the point. I or anyone in fact can make a mistake here on a NAIRALAND POST, and it'll cost what? N-O-T-H-I-N-G. You make a mistake on your CURRICULUM VITAE and what will it cost you? YOUR CAREER. Don't leave what is major and start talking about what is minor.

Three7Ty9:

Give the dude a free e-book for spotting an error in an article written by a supposedly self acclaimed widely travelled HR personnel.


Last Bullet: Nobody is above mistakes.
Cheers.

Sure. Mistakes on a Nairaland post means absolutely nothing. Mistakes on your CV means carelessness, mediocrity. YOU may not see it that way, but that's the message it sends to employers. Take the time to create a perfect CV. Don't make mistakes you could have avoided and then expect employers to ignore it. Major on the things that matter

Marketing strategy.

No 3 is a lie.. Professional CVs are usually more than 1 page. If you are a fresh grad, you can send a 1 page CV..
In my line of work, a 1 paged CV would be regarded as a joke..

Employer's perspective indeed...

Abeg professionals...how does one write a one page CV? I'll like to know the content.

One page ko, half page ni

1 pages or 2 pages, error or no error na Gods favour sure pass. Compare Well written CV's with numbers of available Vacancies. Imagine a job vacancy for 5 ppl n 1000 ppl applied with 500 well written CV's. Dts d experience.There r no jobs not well written CV's sir!

yes o..jst 1dering one page cv God's grace is d key word!

Lol, every D1ck, Tom and Harry now claims to know so much about CV and Human Resource roles. All now see the ocean of unemployed Nigerian graduates as a goldmine for exploitation.

One paged CV? Laughable!

A well drafted two-page CV is good for fresh graduates with little or no experience.

Coldplay007: No 3 is a lie.. Professional CVs are usually more than 1 page. If you are a fresh grad, you can send a 1 page CV..
In my line of work, a 1 paged CV would be regarded as a joke..

God bless u.

Some wey no get CV at all dey get job everyday...

a seller must surely find a way to prove his point.
i wonder if na size 8 font u wan use for 1page cv
guy pack well we nor wan buy!

Dfavouredone:

Guys una bad oo. see as una just use mouth spoil the guy business from the beginning to end.

Bad market.

Op, try another strategy.

lolz exactly my thoughts

Point of correction Mr, CV's can be as many pages as possible. Its only a resume that is restricted to not more than 2pages