The labor market is a competitive place for job seekers. While handfuls receive invitations for interviews, others who were not selected move on without pondering why they never got shortlisted. The answer may lie within their CVs.

Recruiters are busy people and when a CV falls below standard, they hit the delete button. The reasons your CV isn’t getting you interviews may include:

1. It’s generic; Don’t copy and paste ideas from samples, it will only make your CV look like a circus. Try to be specific and discrete.

2. It lists duties without accomplishments; every job has its share of responsibilities. So focus on what you were able to achieve during your stay at the job.

3. It contains spelling and grammatical errors; Don’t construct your CV in a hurry. Always cross check every word and spelling.

4. It’s poorly formatted; Try not to use excessive styling on your CV. Stick to clear fonts e.g. Arial, and make it simple.

5. It’s too short or too long; Don’t round up your resume in three lines or over-exaggerate. Try to strike a balance, at most two pages, and keep it interesting.

6. It includes irrelevant details; Stay clear off details that are unrelated to the job e.g. I’m very religious. Simply don’t disclose any information that will not give you an edge over others.

7. Ridiculous email address; Give resumes a professional email. An address like sexy&ready@gmail.com seems silly.

8. Weird hobbies; Never write a hobby that raises more than a few eyebrows. Let it reflect your passions, not some bad joke.

9. Inaccurate dates; Ensure that your CV corresponds with your records. Wrong dates can attract questions concerning your character.

10. Unexplained employment gaps; Don’t forge imaginary jobs to fill the period you were unemployed. Instead, lay emphasis on the experiences gained.

11. Lack of cover letter; Always include a cover letter when submitting your CV.

12. Boring cover letter; Be specific in your cover letter. Let it grab the attention of a recruiter who’s scanning through to see if your CV is worth reading.

13. Incorrect phone number and email address. You won't believe that some applicants still make the mistake of including wrong contacts on their CV. If an employer tries to reach you without any success, he moves on to the next candidate.

If you’re serious about getting a good job, a well-written, error-free CV is a must-have. It may be the next step, or stumbling block, to getting you an interview.

SOURCE

cc: Mynd44, Dominique, Lalasticlala

Please add yours, if you know any other CV mistakes that prevent job seekers from getting interviews.