10 Mistakes to avoid on your CV 🚩

The resume is not only a gateway to a possible interview; it’s also the space for you to show your power of synthesis and your grammatical skills.

Keep in mind that the person who receives your CV, receives hundreds of CVs for a certain position, and it only takes about 7 seconds (Yes! SEVEN SECONDS!) to attract their interest or move on to the next list.

So, to increase your chances try to avoid the following mistakes when writing your resume.

Here´s the Decalogue of the most common mistakes you should know when writing your resume:

1. Choose your photograph carefully: although it’s likely that in Anglo-Saxon countries, as well as Ireland, UK and Canada, it’s not necessary to have one on your CV. In case you have to include a photo of yourself, look for one that shows your face well, with good light and, if possible, with a neutral background.

2. Choose your personal data carefully: it´s no longer necessary to include your marital status, age or nationality. It’s important, however, that you pay attention when typing your email address and contact number (remember to include your country code).

3. Keep in mind that less is more. Your work history should not exceed one page, unless it´s very extensive and you need to extend it to two pages. Describe those experiences that are related to the position.

4. First of all: order. You can be creative only in black and white, it’s not necessary for your CV to be a rainbow. Always keep in mind that it must communicate everything you know to do, and that is the objective.

5. Focus on your achievements: whether you have been with the same company for ten years or one year, it’s better to emphasize your work achievements than to describe only your responsibilities.

6. Be true to your tone of voice: avoid repetitive phrases such as “good teamwork”, “attention to detail”. Include a description or an example, it´s another way to catch the reader’s attention and not sound like a broken record.

7. Include relevant personal information: bearing in mind the job you are applying for, think about whether the courses or training you are going to include make sense or not.

8. Your honesty is the key! Do not exaggerate your skills, they will be revealed at the time of the interview or when using a certain program.

9. Take care of your spelling: when you have finished writing your CV, read it again carefully. You can also ask a friend to help you clear up any spelling or grammatical errors.

10. Organize your files: when you have your final file, with the corrections and in PDF format. Change the file name to “CV_surname_first_name”. This way, whoever receives it will know beforehand who it belongs to and what it contains.

From now on, you know what items to take into account when writing your own CV, if you have any doubts, let me know in the comments. I read you!

Do you still have doubts? Nobody calls you to arrange an interview? Take our online course on Effective Job Search Abroad: JOB SEARCH ABROAD MASTERCLASS