20 Reasons Your CV Is Letting You Down (Part 2)

By Ruoro Kairu 

Last week, I shared on the first part how your CV could be letting you down. This week, I would like to continue with the second part. We shall continue looking at some of the mistakes you make while writing your CV that could potentially sabotage your chance of being called in for an interview.

Some of these mistakes may seem obvious, but you would be surprised how many times we get CVs that have the same repeated errors.

Related Read>>> 20 Reasons Your CV Is Letting You Down (Part 1)

4. Grammar and spelling errors

This seems like a tiny detail. After all, isn’t a CV supposed to show your qualifications and not dwell on the ‘small stuff?’ No!

The Kenyan job market is very competitive. Recently, we were contracted to shortlist for a company in the healthcare sector. They had advertised 17 positions and received over 7,000 applications. As such, when shortlisting, the recruiters had to look at every single detail.

In such a case, a spelling error or grammatical mistake could disqualify you. While this is not the case on every job, you do not want to take any chances.

Leave no room for error. Go over your CV; check for spelling, commas, structure, and other grammatical errors. You can also pass it through the various spell-checking and grammar applications and software.

Quick Read>>> 6 Reasons Why No One Is Looking At Your CV
 

5. Inaccurate dates

Often at times, some job seekers tend to exaggerate the time they have worked in an organization. For instance, if you worked at a certain company for 9 months, you could get tempted to extend it to one year.

There are several reasons you could do this; one, you may not want to appear as though you jumped from one job to another too quickly. Second, you may want to show you have more experience than you actually do.

After you attend an interview, the interviewer will get in contact with your referees. The referees whose decision is considered credible are those in managerial positions or those who supervised you. If your supervisor says you worked in the organization for 9 months yet you claimed a year, this could disqualify you.

Be accurate with your dates. Be honest too. Let the employer or recruiter choose you on your merit and not whom you portray to be.

6. Referees

Whom have you listed as your referees?

Many times, you may get tempted to list a colleague who will talk positives about you. However, recruiters do not count that as a reference.

Ideally, a reference should be a supervisor or manager with an objective view. If you list your friends and colleagues, the recruiter might disqualify you on basis of lacking concrete referees.

Additionally, the referee should still be working at the place listed.

“Many times, we get in touch with a referee just to find out they also changed companies, or worse yet, they’re unemployed.” Comments Ms. Prisca, a recruitment manager here at Corporate Staffing Services.

Ideally, you should also get in touch with the people you have listed as your referees.

“Sometimes, we get in touch with a referee, and they do not know the candidate we’re refereeing to.” continues Ms. Prisca.

Also Read>>> 5 CV Writing Mistakes You Can’t Afford To Make In 2019.

As noted earlier, these mistakes could cost you a job. In a competitive job market, every nuance of detail is looked at. The smallest thing could disqualify you from being called in for an interview.

Regardless of the level you’re at, no one is exempt from making these mistakes. Thus, it is advised you go over your CV each time before applying for any job. Moreover, you can have one of our professional writers have a look at it.

For a free comprehensive review of your CV, visit our offices with a hard copy of the CV.

If you would like to have your CV professionally rewritten, email us on cvwriting@corporatestaffing.co.ke. The team will also communicate on professional CV writing charges.

Have a query? Reach us on 0722 735 216.