CV Mistakes – and How to Fix Them

The 4^th webinar in partnership with Melly Consulting  was dedicated to the Deflt MaMa community. It was for the people either looking for a job or thinking of changing job. In order to do so, the participants were  interested in learning about  how to avoid the CV mistakes. These mistakes might get their CV into the “no” pile rather than the “yes” pile.

What your CV can do for you

It’s interesting to observe how candidates perceive their CV. Some of them think it’s just a bunch of info and some  believe it needs to be colored to stand from the crowd. Others believe that the CV will make you land the job you are looking for. The answer is still in the middle. A well-structured CV will open the door to the first interview. Then is up to you – as a candidate – to show the company what’s your worth.

5 Common CV Mistakes

As a career coach I often read the CV of my clients, and they all have the same mistakes. The good news is that, they are easy to fix! Let’s look at these mistakes together.

1. Including your picture: In some CVs  the picture is bigger than the rest of the info. There are several reasons for not including a picture. First of all, the A.T.S. (Automated Tracking System, -program used by 90% of companies worldwide to skim CV linked to a vacancy)- will not read it and will score your CV lower. Secondly, if the CV is  read by a human being, it might create biases.

2. Using colorful graphs, columns and symbols : Here the A.T.S. will also not be able to read your CV and will score lower than it deserves

3. Third mistake is resume longer than 2 pages: Yes, in some cases it’s difficult to summarize 30 years’ experience in 2 pages. However; there are techniques on that which help you getting to the 2 pages.

4. To summarize your soft skills into buttons and in a different section: Your soft skills should be integrated in your tasks, showing the company what you are capable of.

5.  Including  your age (or date of birth): Also here, like with mistake number 1 (the picture), this information can create biases. You want to be chosen because you are a fit for the job and the company, not for how old – or young – you are, right?

I tell you a little secret

This is my favorite. One of the -most critical mistakes is to treat your CV like a grocery list. What do I need today from the supermarket? Let’s see, bread, fruit, milk. The CV is a way to convey your achievements into writing and to capture the interest of the reader – which is of few seconds, actually – by telling them how you achieved them. So, think again how you want your CV to look like.

The webinar then closed with several questions with practical answers as well as some takeaways from the audience. The audience as usual was actively participating.

End of our webinar day

I have offered a free consultation session to work with me to boost their CV or gain more confidence and techniques in career development.

Biography

Elena is an International certified Italian Career Coach & Facilitator working in NL since 2008. She offers hands on packages for mid/senior expat professionals who are looking for a job, thinking of a career shift or considering coaching to boost their career development. She is the founder of the boutique agency Melly Consulting (www.mellyconsulting.com) and has a 20 years experience in corporate Business to Business and Business to Consumer companies covering managerial roles.

FROM DMM BLOG COORDINATOR:

Elena Mellara also wrote a post for DMM’s blog with many good tips on How to revamp your CV & How to prepare for a job interview ! If you are interested in this subject, please read the series.