₦airaland Forum

Only few things could be more frustrating than submitting your CV for several job openings and not getting invited for a single interview. If that's what you're facing presently, then you're not alone. There are thousands of Nigerian job seekers out there whose CVs end up in hiring managers' trash bins.

But do you know why your CV hasn't won you a single interview invitation? No, it's not bad luck. And it's not because you don't have the "connections". It's most likely because you're making some silly mistakes in your CV, and as a result, you're losing your chances to other applicants who are smart enough to avoid such mistakes.

Now, what are those mistakes that could send your CV into the trash bin of Nigerian hiring managers? Here are the ten commonest ones:

1. Making your CV too long

The ideal length of a CV is two pages at most, although it could be longer for those with a huge work experience. So, if you're a young graduate with zero to few years of experience, for no reason should your CV exceed two pages.

Remember that hiring managers have to go through hundreds to thousands of CVs while screening applicants for a position, and they have limited time to make their selection. So, rather than spend extra time on looking through a lengthy CV, they would simply toss it aside because they favour CVs that show with a single glance all the relevant details they're looking for.

2. Making grammatical and spelling errors

Having grammar and spelling errors on your CV sends a lot of negative signals about you. First, that you didn't attend good schools. Second, that you don't pay attention to detail. Third, that you're careless or negligent. And it could go on and on.

So, to avoid giving a bad account of yourself, take your time to edit out all errors in your CV—grammar, spelling, and even punctuation. To be absolutely sure, ask other people to also help you check it. Keeping your CV free of errors is very important. Do you expect a hiring manager to favour an error-laden CV over one that is error-free?

3. Adding irrelevant details

Only few things annoy hiring managers than seeing irrelevant details on an applicant's CV. So, to boost your chances of being selected for the job, include only information that is relevant to the position and cut out whatever is not.

For example, if you're applying for a Mechanical Engineer position, you don't need to add that you once taught in a primary school for a few months after graduation; that's not relevant to the job. Similarly, nobody is interested in your primary school or the church you attend; so cut out stuffs like that from your CV.

Aside making your CV overly long, irrelevant information tends to mask out the more important details that could have caught the hiring manager's attention.

4. Making empty, vague claims

While it's important to list some accomplishments you've recorded with your skills, you should avoid using vague words that say a lot but actually mean nothing.

For example, don't just write "improved sales". Rather, write "grew revenue by 8% by attracting 16 new clients in 2014". Similarly, rather than writing "attended to customer needs", write "responded promptly to customer inquiries via email and phone, and promptly forwarded complaints to the relevant department".

By being specific, you make your claims more concrete and convincing. And that will boost your chances of getting an interview invitation.

5. Poor formatting

Just like there's what they call "love at first sight", there's also "hatred at first sight". And poor CV formatting is one of those mistakes that cause hiring managers to hate a CV at first sight. And it's a no brainer that nobody wastes his time assessing something that annoys him.

Make your CV appealing to hiring managers by using clean formatting. While there are no CV formatting rules etched in stone, stick with one that clearly separates the sections and places the most important points first. Use bulleted lists and keep your sentences as short as possible.

6. Leaving out your contact details

The best way to shoot yourself in the foot when applying for a job is to submit a CV that either leaves out your contact details or includes outdated contact details, such as an old line you lost and didn't bother retrieving.

With this mistake, you've blocked out every possible way you can be reached by the employer. And you sure won't forgive yourself if you later discover that a multinational company badly wanted to hire you, but couldn't reach you because the phone line on your CV is no longer active.

So, it's more than important to ensure that your CV contains your active phone line and email address.

7. Having unexplained employment gaps

While hiring managers understand that gaps of few years could be sometimes inevitable, they don't condone wide gaps that span four, five, six, or more years. This is

No, I'm not. But I took the pains to study; wrote and passed UME and post-UME, and secured admission into a federal university, University of Benin to be precise. I encourage you to do same. It's not too late you know.

ClintonNzedimma:
Lazy students
Are u in anyway better dan dem?

You left a Diploma course at EKSU for a Degree course at NOUN? Not a bad decision. If I were in your shoes, I would have done the same, but I wouldn't expect the relevant authorities to bend the rules. NOUN is a part-time school. As such, her products are exempted from NYSC. As for Law school, that will be sorted out with time. But NYSC, it will never happen.

donbrowser:
Sometimes it's better to keep your comments. I left Eksu for Noun.

SMH. Weren't they aware of this before. Bunch of lazy students. Instead of them to read and pass UME, they went for short-cut.

.

Good morning friends,

From time-to-time, I'll also be sharing some of the things I learn't in class on this thread. So it's an opportunity for you to acquire some MBA knowledge without attending any business school. Stay tuned!

.

Nigeria we hail thee.

You don't know me. What makes you think I don't have a successful business? I may not be as rich as Aliko Dangote, but I'm doing well in my own little way. I know like you, there are other doubting thomases that's why I introduced the option of delivery before payment.

ibrokola:
When will some people receive sense? You are selling ideas for a successful business at N1500. Apply this ideas to your own business and be so successful that you won't need our own meager N1500. Clown! If Dangote published such a book, I'll rush to buy it because I know he's got experience, you don't have a successful business yet you want me to buy 35 ideas. Lol

Sorry Bro, I don't just do ebooks. I'm a practical person. FYI, I have my own businesses too. One online and the other two offline, and I don't tell people to do what I cannot do myself.

Naughtysite:
Do EBOOK.

Thatz all..

Besides you can visit this thread for an information you can't afford to miss: https://www.nairaland.com/2312852/revealed-35-things-must-business

That's a welcome development. Besides you can visit this thread for an information you can't afford to miss: https://www.nairaland.com/2312852/revealed-35-things-must-business

Okay, Besides you can visit this thread for an information you can't afford to miss: https://www.nairaland.com/2312852/revealed-35-things-must-business

The best you can do is to visit any branch of CAC yourself, there they'll correct the error. It might take a week or two. Besides you can visit this thread for an information you can't afford to miss: https://www.nairaland.com/2312852/revealed-35-things-must-business

Hello,

Very funny!

Thanks Op.

A business that will give you a profit of 250k within 30days of starting? It's possible o, but you have to be very careful not to lose your money to fraudsters.

Happy weekend friends.

I pray he returns safe and sound. Pls Mods, take this to the Front page.

Thanks Op.

Pls respond.

Seun:
Dear Programmers & Other Techies,

Please state the kind of company you work for and where it's located, the kind of work you do there, and how much you're paid.

This information will help programmers like you and employers like me a lot during salary negotiations. Thanks!

Very Urgent: I sent you a mail. Pls check your box.

Seun:
Dear Programmers & Other Techies,

Please state the kind of company you work for and where it's located, the kind of work you do there, and how much you're paid.

This information will help programmers like you and employers like me a lot during salary negotiations. Thanks!

Thanks.

yomalex:
That's good

Oga Seun, I just sent you a mail. Pls check your box.

Seun:
The culture section is the Igbo language section. Post all your Igbo language threads here.

The president's silence means only one thing. He is very much in support of the situation. It's unfortunate.