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Is Your CV Unintentionally Unprofessional?

Getting caught up in the hurricane of the job hunt can leave you forgetting to fix any unintentionally unprofessional details in your CV.

Unfortunately, employers can spot small blunders from miles away. Being aware of what you may be overlooking will help you avoid miscommunication—and missed opportunities.

In the spirit of sharing, we’d like to highlight some things that make CVs appear unprofessional to help improve your CV.

1. Lazy words such as “etc.”

When working to prove your qualifications to potential employers, don’t choose “etc.” or words like it. Instead, focus on being specific. If you feel your experience and skills may not be enough, remember to try phrasing your duties as accomplishments.

For example:

Duty: Responded to customer service calls and improved customer satisfaction.

Accomplishment: Increased customer satisfaction rate to 91 percent by shortening call wait times by 2 minutes.

2. Acronyms

Sometimes the use of acronyms is unavoidable but remember the importance of spelling out these acronyms, at least on the first use, so both applicant tracking systems and the employers reading can understand what you’re talking about.

For example, instead of “SEO” say “Search Engine Optimization.” Instead of just “B2C,” also use “business to consumer.”

On a CV, nothing says professional like clarity.

3. Your hobbies and interests.

I’m not sure who decided that the CV was a good place to include that you like TV series, but we’re here to correct that. Your CV is a place to showcase how you best fit the role in question.

A hobby list is also a prime place to invite discrimination. Employers are not supposed to let extra information about job seekers color their views of applications, but they’re all human. 

Leave out your hobbies and use that space to quantify your latest career improvement step.

4. Failure to proofread.

Don’t always rely on spellcheck! Context isn’t always considered by spellcheck, so job seekers may not realize that although a word may be spelled correctly, it may actually be the wrong word.

Studies show that it’s easier to miss mistakes when you read on a screen rather than on a printed piece of paper. 

Read your CV aloud or print it out on a hard copy for a quick way to get a fresh take. A new angle can help you find and fix mistakes. Nothing says unprofessional like a misspelling.

5. Meaningless job titles.

If there is anything in human resources that doesn’t make sense, it’s job titles. Organizations have their own naming conventions, which don’t always translate to the outside professional world.

So you’re a “Coordinator II” in your current organization? Employers outside of your organization don’t know what that means.

If in your organization you were the visual communicator and what you did was graphic design, it is best to just write your role was graphic designer.

It’s worth editing your job title to reflect industry standards, or at least be more descriptive. “Sales Coordinator” at least hints that your job involves sales.

6. Explaining gaps in employment.

If you have a gap in employment, you can address it in a cover letter or interview. Including on your CV that you were laid off, became a mother or moved to follow a spouse is irrelevant and can invite unwanted discrimination. 

If you are seriously concerned about employment gaps, instead of including the years you were at a role (e.g., 2014 – 2017), instead quantify how many years it was (e.g., three years).

Remember: your CV should work for you,

As you can see, the CV screening process is not free from discrimination. Do what you can to remove any possible information that might cause someone to “pass” on your CV. 

Want some professional guidance on how to make your CV professional? Reach out to our professional CV writers who will offer you a free CV review once you make your inquiry.