5 Mistakes that could ruin your job application

Are you looking for a job but not finding anything? Well, it could be that something is missing from your CV. The key to finding the right job is a well-written CV so that you catch the eye of the recruiter. But how will I know what I’m doing wrong? Let’s look at 5 common mistakes that could ruin your application.

1. Not using the right keywords

Using keywords can help or ruin your CV. And by not using them at all, a
a recruiter might find it difficult to see why your CV matches the job description. Also if a company uses an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), it can make it difficult to match your CV to the job advertised. As the system looks to find and match relevant keywords used in the advert to your application/CV. Using too many keywords is also not good as this makes your look unprofessional. Always remember that your CV needs to read well, but still contain as much information as possible as well.

2. Include relevant information

In general, a CV should not be longer than two A4 pages. How can I make sure of this? It’s easy. All you need to do is to only include your skills, qualifications and employment history that is relevant to the job you applied for. Don’t add unnecessary work experience you did in school/college/university. If you did an internship or volunteer program, that’s great and remember to add this, as this shows that you are proactive. It’s very important that you think about what you add to your CV, remember this is the first impression the recruiter will have of you. If you do not have enough information on your CV yet, pls add more information or leave it on your CV.

3. Choose a clear layout

Remember that the layout of your CV is very important. With that said, try to keep your CV “clean”, maybe use bullet points and small paragraphs. A recruiter does not have hours to read through a CV, so keeping it “clean” will make reading your CV so much easier. Don’t use fancy designs as you do not want to distract the recruiter from reading your CV. So what design must I use? Well, there are a lot of free online templates you can download and they will guide you as to what design to use for academic positions, corporate positions etc. And the layout is already done, all you need to do is to add your information.

4. Not giving any examples

When writing your CV, don’t just list your skills, but give the recruiter examples of how you’ve used your skills. This will help the recruiter to understand how the company could benefit from adding you to their employment. For example: don’t just write that you are good at communicating. Rather write: “At the call centre I listened to upwards 25 calls a day and could offer assistance to people applying for various positions.” Giving examples give the recruiter a “better idea” of your skills.

5. Spelling and grammar errors

Very important if not the most important thing to remember is to check your CV for spelling and grammatical errors. Always proofread your CV and do spell checks. There are various free online programs e.g.: Grammarly (https://app.grammarly.com) available that you could download and use. You could also ask someone to proofread your CV before applying. By doing this, you avoid unnecessary mistakes on your CV.

Conclusion

It’s very easy for someone to make a mistake on a CV, and that could cost you the job. So to avoid that from happening, look at the 5 tips listed above. This will help you to write a strong CV that the recruiter will look at.