Safa
What are common mistakes made while preparing Curriculum Vitae
What points to consider while making a resume for applying for a job #resume #writing #reading #cvs
11 answers
Kate Wallace
Kate’s Answer
Hi Safa,
This is a good question. There are a few areas I would suggest you consider:
1) Typos and grammar - Be sure to proofread your CV carefully, and have a friend or mentor read through it as well. When an applicant's resume has typos, this is a very negative factor, and often the reason that we don't continue with a candidate.
2) Clarity of formatting and layout - If you're applying for jobs that require visual skills (such as graphic design, or something artistic), the overall appearance of your CV is particularly important. However, I would suggest you consider this factor no matter what the job. You want the CV to be easy to read, so that people are more likely to spend time looking at it. Think about consistency of fonts, spacing, bolding text, etc.
3) Tailor your CV to each job - You'll want to make sure that the experience you highlight is relevant to the particular employer who reads the CV. Of course, list all of your experience (especially if you haven't had very many jobs), but be sure to note specific tasks or skills that relate to the specific job you're applying for.
4) Length - I would recommend you keep it to one page, unless you have a situation where you need to list a lot of additional information and it just won't fit (such as if you had published a lot of articles and needed to cite all of them).
If you're making a resume for the first time, I'd recommend you start with brainstorming all of your experience (including volunteer or school activities) and listing it in chronological order. Then you can work on formatting and writing about your jobs with "resume language." If you have a teacher or mentor who can help you with this step, or edit your draft, that might be a good idea.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
Kate
Thank you very much for your valuable piece of advice
Nasreen Khan
Thank you very much...
Yuvan Sankar
Rainer Mager
Rainer’s Answer
When I review CVs there are a few things that stand out to me as negatives.
First, it should be well edited. Spelling mistakes, sloppy layout, confusing organization, etc are unexcusable. Why are they unexcusable? Because you have plenty of time to prepare your CV, and you should know it is important, so doing a sloppy job at that is a bad sign for future work. I'm much more forgiving for similar mistakes in email or more regular communications, because those are written in a short amount of time and there is less opportunity to carefully edit them.
Second, it should be written with the audience in mind. That is, don't assume the person reading it knows about your specific situation. Some examples are using acronyms or project names that are unique to your current company. The reader from another company won't understand them. Also, if you're applying for a job at a distant location, they may not even know of the company where you previously worked, so a short description of that company can be helpful. E.g., "Project manager at XYZ (a local software contract company)". Also, don't say that you have experience when you don't. Or, if you have limited experience, make that clear. You don't want to be in the situation that you get to an interview and they ask you detailed questions about something you wrote on your CV and you can't answer them.
Finally, there is a lot of guidance about how long to make the CV, but that guidance is not consistent. One thing that does seem true is that most people who review CVs do it very quickly, often spending less than 30 seconds reading it. Given that, keep the most important parts at the top, so at least they see those. If you feel it is important to add more details, consider a structure that allows you to do that lower in the document. Also, if you have the opportunity to speak with the person who reviews your CV, ask them for feedback. Most interviews, even if they're just initial phone interviews, give you a chance to ask questions. Make one of those questions, "What did you think of my CV and do you have any advice to improve it?"
Thank you for that wonderful piece of advice.
Nasreen Khan
Thank you sir
Yuvan Sankar
Poornima Sethumadhava
Poornima’s Answer
That's a very good question! I can see that many professionals have already given you good advice on the topic!
In addition to that, all I can say is that, be honest! Write only about what you truly believe is your strength or skill. Only then will you be able to answer questions during the interview. If you write something just to make an impression, but in reality if you lack those skills, you will not be able to provide appropriate answers. It is very important to make an honest approach in whatever you do.
Good luck!
Purnima S
Purnima’s Answer
1. Not having a good professional summary:
This should be the first thing that the hiring manager reads and needs to be as succinct, accurate and highlight the skill-set you will bring to the table at the role you are applying for. Very often, potential employee searches are through key-words related to the role, and this is where the professional summary comes in
2. Very long resumes with too much detail exceeding two pages:
Most of the time, the hiring manager is just going to glance at your CV and while it is important to highlight your skills and professional achievements, it would be best to trim it down so that the ones most relevant to the role you are applying for jump out when the hiring manager is reading the same. A CV beyond 2 pages is exhausting and time consuming to read, absorb and identify whether the candidate is a good fit and you may risk losing the reader/hiring manager's interest
3. Having just one version of your CV for all roles you are applying for:
While you can create one 'master' CV which highlights your core skills, experience and professional achievements, you may be looking for a wide range of roles or even different industries during you job hunt. At this point, it is important to tailor your CV with a few key modifications/additions of key words or achievements which would be most relevant to the job you are applying for
Sugender Borlakunta
Sugender’s Answer
1 - Avoid Typos and Long statements.
2 - Customize your CV as per the position and highlight the key skills those are suitable for org needs
3 - Do not copy from other CV which may not suitable for you.
4 - Ensure you provided every skills and accomplishments are true and genuine
5 - Show examples and case studies, accomplishments with proofs and with small writeups
6 - At the end "Remember Your CV is your face and Skills"
Sarada JH
Sarada’s Answer
Nikhil Dhamija
Nikhil’s Answer
So, keep it short, interactive and relevant to the latest times.
Shefali Kanitkar
Shefali’s Answer
I have noticed these few things that we all tend to miss out while making a CV:
1) We tend to exceed the "word-limit" - Most of the times, the recruiter is not going to through the entire CV, and hence the CV should make a good "first impression". To do this, make it short, make it crisp, and keep it real.
2) Speak the truth - Your CV should always speak for itself, but also speak the truth. My observation is that a recruiter will always ask anything and everything from your CV, and in case you hesitate to answer a question from your CV, they know you are lying. Not a good impression.
3) Simple grammar and Spell check - Going through your CV a couple of times to ensure you have made no grammar mistakes and spelling errors, can take your CV a long way ahead.
4) Unnecessary information - This includes your personal details like languages known, address, age. This information is not necessary in your CV. If the recruiter has to contact you, they will contact you via email or phone number.
Hope this answer is useful :)
Susan E. Oser
Susan E.’s Answer
I would say making a long CV. It's best to have 1 to 1/2 pages. Spelling mistakes are a no-no and outdated information.
ritesh sharma
ritesh’s Answer
1) A very dry CV:
An employer friendly and attractive CV is required and very significant. The framework of the resume should be kept very simple and must include sub-headings and should have a good flow. A grammatical error or a silly typo will reduce the value of your CV and will throw it in the bin and therefore proofread your resume several times to find mistakes.
2) Create your CV with respect to the position
There is no global format for CV rather it should vary with respect to each position, exhibit your experience with respect to the job you are applying for.
3) Do not depend on the online CV templates
Most of the candidates use the online CV templates and you will not be different from the crowd apart from that most of the online CV templates have complex or layouts which are difficult to read and are outdated. Thus you may lose the chance of getting hired.
4) Not targeting your achievements
In this tough competitive world you need to list a lot more than duties and responsibilities with respect to your previous experience like your previous achievements and you need to use the terminology with respect to the job description and must attract the future employer.
5) Your CV is too long
Nobody follows one page CV now a days and people are extending it two or three. Long pages are not acceptable but yes it is good to project all the experiences. So only two pages are sufficient Thus the career advice for engineering jobs has come to an end.
Alexandra G.
Alexandra’s Answer
As you start your career, you might not have a lot of experience, so in an interview, you are likely to be asked questions about your studies, your interests, what makes you special.
All the other candidates would have studied as well, so your extra curricular activities or work internships are what will make you stand out.
Also, I strongly suggest not to lie on your CV. It can be very tempting to invent work experience or volunteering activities but this is the worst thing to do. People would ask you about them and ask you questions that you would not be able to answer.