By Lilian Wamaitha

How long have you been job searching? How many CVs have you sent without hearing back from the employer?

The questions on your mind now would probably be “What is wrong with my CV?” “Is my CV being seen?” “Am I less qualified for all jobs I apply for?”

I sat down with Ms. Muthoni Ndegwa a Recruitment Manager at Corporate Staffing to shed more light on why employers reject CVs without even reading them.

At the end of the day, it could be that you are qualified for a job, but your CV is a total turn off. Here is how;



1. You don’t name your CV appropriately
According to Ms Ndegwa, a majority of CVs fail to get the employer’s approval because of how they are saved.

Think about it; if an employer is receiving thousands of applications on a single position with no proper naming, how are they going to keep track of all the CVs?

To be on the safe side, name your CV accordingly. For this she recommends that you name your CV by your first and last name.

“This will give the recruiter an easier time when short listing and even keep track of all the applicants,” she says.

For instance, you could name your CV as ‘Lilian Wamaitha CV’ or ‘WamaithaCV’.

It’s that simple.

2. Sending your CV as a “forward”
I am not a recruiter but I have had so many of our readers send their CVs to me for a job.

However, the problem is not sending the CV but how you send it.

If you are in the habit of forwarding your CV and I mean from the last one your sent, I am here to tell you that this is one of the mistakes that recruiters don’t forgive easily.

It not only shows a lack of focus but it brings you out as lazy.

I mean, how simple is it to create a completely new email when applying for a job?

3. Sending your CV accompanied by lots of attachments
Often employers have about 7 seconds to scan through your application to determine if they will shortlist you for a job.

One of the mistakes that job seekers make is sending so many attachments for a single job application. This will include a CV, cover letter, all their certificates and some even take it to the extreme by attaching their birth certificate as well as health records.

Go through the job description and note what the employer wants. If they say send your CV only, kindly do not send a cover letter along. If they say to email your applications, a CV and a cover letter will do.

Avoid attaching your certificates when applying for a job unless the employer has specifically asked you to.

Chances are, they will tell you to bring the other documents along when they shortlist you for an interview?

What does this means then? It means that your CV should be comprehensive enough and tailored towards the job you are applying for.

4. Saving your CV In the wrong format
Word and PDF format should be the only systems to use when sending your CV to potential employers. Avoid sending your CV then saving it in a format that cannot be accessible.

The end result? Employers will not get a chance to have a look at it and it is your entire fault.

“I have had applicants sending CVs by sharing it on Google docs where I have to have permission to view the file, something which is impossible,” says Ms Ndegwa.

To be on the safe side, just save it as a word document since it’s the easiest.

5. Your CV is too long
The length of your CV depends on your working experience but having a very long CV runs the risk of an employer discarding it before getting a chance to read it.

You can’t have 2 years experience and afford to write a 10 page CV. The recruiter has 100 more CVs to shortlist so chances are that your 10 page document will be rejected. An employer will simply move on to the next, more shorter and organized CV.

Thanks for this.