6 CV mistakes you need to avoid

It’s rightly said that “You never get a second chance to make the first impression” and it applies to your job search too. If you have ever wondered – What separates those jobseekers who gets numerous interview-calls from those whose resume hardly gets the due attention it deserves from the hiring managers, You will be surprised to know that very often it is one or more of these following trivial mistakes that cost you those precious interview calls.

1. Sending your resume without a job specific cover letter

A job specific cover letter can prove to be an ideal tool for you to highlight your best qualities to a potential employer. If you are not doing that, you are missing on this perfect opportunity to make yourself stand out amongst the pile of others.

Take some time to design a job specific cover letter before applying for any job. It is a way to show that you have not only done enough research about the job before applying for it but also let the recruiter know how serious you are about your job search.

2. Using an un-professional email address on your resume

There is nothing wrong in being considered cool among your circle but while you are seriously looking for a job, You can not afford to use that teen’ish, cool email address; you created for playing some online games a few years back; for your job search. There are plenty of free email service providers out there, Get a sober FirstName.LastName type of email address for your job search.

3. Sending your Resume without proof-reading for grammatical and spelling errors

If you are serious about your job search, Check your resume for grammatical and spelling errors before sending them out. It is a good practice to check it twice or getting it checked from third person before sending it out. Remember, even the tiniest error will cast a bad impression on the employer. Do not let that one spelling mistake cost you a job.

4. Treating your resume as your auto-biography

Over feeding your resume with everything you have done in your life only renders other important information on the resume incomprehensible. All right, you are smart and have led the life of a genius but what the hiring managers are interested in is “how can you help the company doing that particular job you have applied for” So before putting every piece of information on your resume, ask yourself – Does this information help me qualify for being the best candidate for this specific job? If not, Remove it instantly.

5. Sending the same resume for every job

Sending generic, fit-for-all resume for every job is the best recipe for failure in finding the perfect job for yourself. Every job is different so is every company and its culture. Spend some time in doing some research about the company as well as about the specific job profile and try to tailor your resume to show how your skills and experience mesh with the job requirement as well as the company’s overall goal and culture.

6. Listing your job responsibilities on the resume instead of your achievements

All the Resumes that get shortlisted have one thing in common – They answer this question – “What did you achieve in your career that distinguishes you from the rest of the crowd”. If you are writing only the job responsibilities in your resume then you are not answering the most important question.

Don’t forget, Just mentioning your job duties can only take you so far, What makes you stand-out amongst rest of the candidates is your achievements.

A great resume can open many doors but a bad one might close many more. Check your resume for such silly errors to save yourself from having to pay for it with your interview call.

This article is published in collaboration with LinkedIn. Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum.

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Author: Yogi Kumar is a Senior Recruitment Professional heading recruitment activities within India.

Image: Motorized mannequins hold signs that read “Hire Me” in Toronto May 23, 2014. REUTERS.