Creating a CV that will get you a job interview isn’t a piece of cake. It takes much time and effort, but once you get it right, the process of applying for jobs will become a lot easier. A well crafted CV is especially important for students who are new to job hunting. This process is tough, and a good CV is crucial if you want to land a job.

In this article, you’ll read about some of the most common mistakes that students make while creating a CV.

Writing A CV That Is Too Long

It might sound counter-intuitive, but when it comes to creating a resume, you should keep in mind that less is more. You might be tempted to include every little detail about yourself that can help you stand out and attract recruiters’ attention. In particular, if you don’t have much work experience. Yet, you should resist it and keep your CV no longer than one page.

The thing is, recruiters are busy looking through all the applications, so they need to get an impression of who you are as quickly as possible. They won’t even want to read your CV if it’s too long. That’s why it’s important to make sure that its content is to the point.

When it comes to an essay, you can always turn to the paper writing service EssayPro for some extra help from professionals. But when it comes to a resume, you’re the only one who can get it 100% right, because you know yourself better than anyone else. Don’t frighten away your potential employer with a CV that is too wordy. Add relevant information in a concise way.

Describing Responsibilities, Not Specific Results

Another common mistake is to focus on one’s duties and responsibilities instead of achievements. So if you already have some working experience, it might be a good idea to show how exactly you have proved to be a valuable asset.

Let’s say you have some experience in online advertising. You were a part of a business development team trying to attract new advertisers. Instead of merely describing your role, mention the number of advertisers that you actually managed to get onboard in a given period of time.

The main point here is to show your effectiveness by providing specific numbers or cases. This way, you’ll make a better impression on a recruiter as compared to your competitors who focus on their duties, not accomplishments.

Using A Lot Of Clichés And Buzzwords

When crafting your CV, try to avoid such clichés and buzzwords. For example, “creative”, “highly motivated”, “excellent communicator”, “strategic thinker” and some others. These words won’t help you stand out. In fact, they’ll do the exact opposite. They will make you look like the rest of the applicants using the exact same words to describe themselves and their skills.

Don’t turn to the overused words to come across as an original individual. If you want to show your personality and appear genuine, think about using the resume keywords that you would use to describe yourself in real life. It’s better to use simple, yet original and meaningful words than frustrate recruiters by the language they’ve already seen in hundreds of CVs.

No matter how tempting it is to mention that you work hard and communicate well, it’s better to mention some real accomplishments. They will serve as a solid proof and make your CV persuasive rather than trendy.

Choosing A CV Design Poorly

When it comes to your CV, format is as important as content. After all, if it doesn’t look clean, readable, and concise, the chances that your resume will actually find its reader are quite low. Thus, it’s necessary that you carefully choose how your finished CV will look like.

Make sure to use a business-appropriate font such as Times New Roman, Calibri or Arial and a readable font size, for example, 11 or 12. Also, it’s important that you don’t overuse font styles, as your CV should look minimalistic. Avoid the mistake of making your resume stand out by means of using different fonts, huge font size and weird colors.

You should consider how your CV fits visually in the industry you’d like to work in. If you aspire to work as a creative at an advertising agency, then you should think about crafting a great and impressive portfolio rather than a CV. If you plan to apply for jobs in some other spheres, then stick to the clean and concise form of a CV.

Skipping Grammar And Spelling Check

Correct grammar and spelling are considered to be the basic requirements for any candidate. So in case you fail to use correct language and avoid mistakes, you might come across as a person who doesn’t really care.

An outside perspective should always be appreciated, as by the time you’re finished with your resume, you might not want to have a second look at it. In this case, ask a friend for a favor and let them have a look. Actually, this way is even better, as you might get some valuable input.

By the way, it might be a good idea to exchange resumes with your groupmates, as it’s likely that someday they’re going to start looking for a job, too. You can help one another by giving feedback or thinking together about the best ways to present your skills and experiences.

Wrapping Up

Crafting your first CV and then polishing it over and over again is time- and effort consuming. Yet, it’s a must for anyone who wants to land a job.

Some of the most common mistakes when crafting a resume are making it very long, describing duties instead of accomplishments, using clichés and buzzwords, choosing a poor design and ignoring grammar as well as spelling mistakes.

Hopefully, this article will help you craft an impressive CV or improve an existing one.