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5 Ways Your CV Is Underselling You

BY TERESA MULOMI

If you are looking for a job, I have bad news and good news.

Bad news!

Your CV is underselling you!

If you are relentlessly writing your CV, dropping your CV and sending your CV but you get no response, then unfortunately, your CV is letting you down.

Good news!

All is not lost! With proper advice and guidance, you can turn this around. This article will give you a snapshot of the 5 elements in your CV that are underselling you and tips on how you can supercharge your resume in order to stand out!

1. Passive words and cliches 

So you are enthusiastic? Or maybe you are a team player? Or better yet, a hard worker.

An “enthusiastic, hardworking, team playing” employee is a recruiters dream. However, on a CV, such cliche words are a recruiter’s worst nightmare.

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Tip One: Use powerful action words

Remember that team you led? Or that strategy you developed? And implemented? Not to forget how you reduced costs and doubled profits?

The best way to truly convey your abilities and competencies is by using lively language, filled with powerful action words and bold statements. Get rid of cliches and passive words that are sucking the life out of your CV.

2. Generic Irrelevant Skills

Generic skills, unless relevant to the job should be left out of you CVs since they only take up space that could be used to showcase the truly talented gem that you are.

Tip Two: Remove the fluff out of your CV

It’s time to cut out your birth date, marital status, tribe and any other irrelevant stuff in order to transform your standard CV from bland to fab by highlighting skills that will make you stand out as a remarkable and special professional.

3. Lengthy poorly structured CV

How long is your CV? 2 pages? 3 pages? 5 pages? If your answer was 5 or over it is time to hit the delete button and…delete, delete, delete.

You have under 30 seconds to make you best first impression with your CV. If your CV is lengthy, cluttered and poorly structured, it will only bog down the reader and you might just be tossed into the “no” pile.

Tip 3: Keep your CV short but concise

There is no set-in-stone rule on how long your CV should be. The length of your CV could vary based on your experience.

However, always strive to make you CV short, simple and clear. Remove the fluff out of your CV and replace it with easily navigable, clearly labelled, and well targeted content.

4. Duty based vs. achievement based

Your CV is not a synopsis of your job description.

Your CV is meant to showcase how you went above and beyond your job description in order to contribute and impact.

Simply replicating the information on your job description onto your CV could be the reason why recruiters are underestimating your potential.

Tip 4: Highlight your achievements not your duties

If you are a new graduate who has the grades but lacks the experience, create a credential based CV that highlights your academic achievements, professional affiliations and relevant volunteer or internships experience to help you stand out.

If you have a number of years of experience under your belt, highlight not your job description but your accomplishments, contributions and impact.

5. Unexplained gaps in your CV

Career paths are non-linear.

Each and every single professional is on their own career journey. Life may throw you a curve-ball that may send your career journey spinning out of control.

Be it sickness, a vacation, parenthood, career transition, study period or simply just a period of unemployment, these detours can leave unexplained gaps in your CV that may send employers running.

Tip 5: Spin gaps into positive stories

Truthfully spin any gap in your CV into a positive story that will enhance your narrative.

If you had taken a break to study, highlight how the material you studied will benefit the company. If you had traveled, showcase how your experience exposed you to different elements or people that will eventually benefit the company’s bottom-line.

It’s time to polish your CV, contact our Professional CV Writing Experts here.

30 Comments

  1. Hello Kennedy
    I will first like to encourage you that you are not the problem.
    Unfortunately, the job market is highly competitive, cut-throat and flooded.
    We have so many candidates competing for limited jobs,
    I advice you to always be among the first people to apply for jobs,
    tailor your CV to every job you apply for (this is very important),
    and if you can please seek the advice of a professional CV writer to help revise your CV.

  2. Hey Jackline
    Thank you for expressing interest in our CV writing services.
    The CV Writing fee depends on your years of experience and educational qualifications
    Please call me on 0798568643 or 0798568638 and I will provide further guidance

  3. Hi Nancy
    Thank you for being our loyal client.
    And to answer your question-of course yes! You can get your CV reviewed by our experts at a discounted price.
    Kindly call 0798568638 or 0798568643 to get your CV reviewed

  4. Hey Kitange.
    Indeed! Your CV is your mouthpiece, your brand, your first impression.
    If it fails to represent you well, your chances for landing a job interview are next to nil.
    Use this tips to create an outstanding CV
    All the best Jayrus!

  5. Hi Winnie
    Whatever you do, please don’t give up.
    The job search is extremely difficult and tiring for most professionals but in the end it all pays off.
    Giving up is not an option even though this is easier said than done
    What areas in your CV do you struggle with? I would advice you get a CV writing experts to review your CV.
    Please call 0798 56 86 38 and an expert will help you out with your CV and cover letter.

  6. Hello James
    In most cases, the birth date and ethnicity should not be indicated in the CV.
    However, upon request from the employer, you can indicate the birth date and ethnicity

  7. I want you to rewrite my CV but you are a bit expensive for me. I wanted even to pay in two installments. Please help.

  8. so how do you remove the birth date and ethnicity when they are required by the employing organization
    we always require the same details when recruiting. Elaborate further please.

  9. Super piece. I really struggle writting good and selling CV. Fresh graduate with no relevant experience in line with my professional career apart from the field practice. I feel am loosing it all and my patience is beggining to wear off.

  10. This is truly worthy piece. My CV should work for me when I am not there to explain it. It should create interest to the reader to want to meet the person in the CV. I have learned and I will change to get better.

  11. Hi, am happy for what I have just read. Kindly, allow me say this, I have a 4 year experience as a receptionist in one of the clinics at Kawangware. I had my CV reviewed by one of your team colleague, and what you had mentioned above, were included. Can I do some changes on the same?? Thank you

  12. This piece was helpful. What can someone conclude after doing all these, having the requisite experience and education but still does not get an interview?

Comments are closed.