Your CV is the first thing that a potential employer has to get to know you. It
is quite a challenge to sell yourself to somebody in just a single piece of paper.
However, there are a few common pitfalls that you can avoid easily.
Forget the 25m swimming badge
It is tempting to try and sell yourself by simply
including every achievement in your life.
However, an employer will have piles of CVs
on their desk. Don’t make them have to skim
read through all your primary school merit
awards and scout badges before they get to the
bits that matter. Try and channel relevant
experience onto the CV. Three entries that are
relevant experience is better than a page full of
irrelevant achievements.
One size doesn't fit all
Sending the same CV to hundreds of
organisations is all very well, but you can make
sure you are giving an organisation the best
impression by making sure you tailor each CV
for each job. If the advert mentions specific IT
packages you know, list them in your IT skills.
If you know that the job involves working with
others, mention you are good at team work.
Make it pretty, but not a supermodel
A CV should be clearly laid out in a basic
typeface. If it is a bit messy or you have used
several different fonts, it does not create a
good impression. But the reverse is true as well.
Don’t spend hours making it look fancy and
definitely do not include any images, especially
clipart style ones! It really isn’t a beauty
pageant. Just lay it out clearly and simply.
Attach it!
The majority of applications these days are
done via email, which makes it easy to apply
for several positions. However, there is one
major pitfall which is all too easy to do….not
attaching your CV! There is nothing worse
than carefully crafting an email only to send
another one saying ‘sorry, I forgot to attach
my CV!’ Actually there is something worse,
getting an email from them saying ‘you haven’t
actually attached your CV!’
Avoid the CV pitfalls
spring 2015
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