Simple CV Writing Tips to Get Your Resume Read

Recruiters Flip through your CV in 7 Seconds

Recruitment managers can receive hundreds of CVs for every advertised post and discard most of the applications. CV writing can be a challenge. However, there those common mistakes that job seekers make that get them rejected. When drafting your CV, remember recruiters have hundreds of CVs to read through and they spend as little time as possible on each.
Keep in mind that your CV is what will secure you an interview and if recruiters are not reading it, you will not move to the next step. This is your first impression, make it count.

Here Are Some of The Things That Recruiters Look At

• Format

If your CV format is complicated and needs translating or explaining, you will keep waiting for that interview call. Your CV format should be simple, easy on the eye and avoid of clutter and unnecessary information.

• Sections

When a potential employer looks at your CV, their eyes rush over your name, email address, qualifications, and previous work experience. Ensure that these sections are on the first page of your CV. In the work experience section, it is wise to quote the period of time you were with a certain company. Also in work experience, do not list your job description, rather list your achievements in that role and how you helped your department attain its goals.

• Role Titles

The potential employer will go over your previous job roles looking to see your relevance to the current position they are looking to fill and your career growth over the years. Ensure that you state your previous titles clearly.

• Turn-over

Your potential employer will be highly interested in knowing how long you lasted with your previous employers. It is wise to separate the permanent jobs from the part-time ones to avoid the illusion of job-hopping tendencies.

• Little Obvious Things

Issues like typos, bad grammar, poor formatting and wordy sentences are a turnoff to anyone reading your CV.

Why Recruiters Bin CVs

Below are the main reasons, given by hiring managers, on why your ‘perfect’ CV is not helping you secure the all important interview.

• Your CV Contains Irrelevant Information

Remember, a Human Resources Manager quickly skims through your CV in 7 seconds. This means that you have a very small window to capture and retain their attention. Avoid including unnecessary information such as marital status, religion or age in your CV as these tire the recruitment manager before they move to the most important parts. Irrelevant information also lengthens your CV and this might make the recruitment manager avoid reading it.
Keep it brief
How To Correct This:
Optimise your CV by staying relevant. Leave out unnecessary personal information unless such information has expressly been requested. Read through the required skills and competencies for the job and only point out what is relevant to the job. Your CV should also not be a dumping ground for everything you have ever done. Above all, keep it short and precise.

• Lack of Keywords

Technology has literally revolutionised our lives. Hiring managers are, thus, using computer programs to skim through your CV and pick out the best candidates based on certain standards. If your CV lacks certain keywords, the hiring software automatically eliminates your CV from the recruitment process even if you have all the necessary qualifications; and this means that your CV will not be read.
How to correct this:
Keywords help the hiring manager to closely fit a candidate to the advertised position. Read through the skills, competencies and main duties and responsibilities and map your skills with keywords you feel are the most relevant. This will help the hiring software to quickly pick up keywords in your CV for short listing. If your title or key responsibilities do not use the exact words as those used in the advertisement, then tweak them a little bit so that they are as close as possible to the terms used to get your CV to be read.

• You Do Not Highlight Your Accomplishments

When conducting a recruitment drive, the human resource manager is looking for a result-oriented person. Too many job seekers only highlight their responsibilities and fail to point out what they have accomplished. For example, if you are in customer service, you can say “During my tenure at company X, the customer engagement improved by 50% due to timely and personalised responses.” This will show your actual value and you can get an interview to further discuss your strategy.
How To Correct This:
Your accomplishments should be your main selling points. State what you accomplished in your position without going into details. You may, for example, say, “Improved customer satisfaction by promptly responding to queries via email.” This shows that a particular action on your end improved the company’s operations. A failure to state accomplishments often leads to CV binning as the hiring manager is not sure of what you can bring on board.

• Poor CV Structure

This can never be over emphasised. Although there is no standard formatting, there are certain guidelines on how to write a good resume as pointed out in our in-depth guide here. If your CV lacks a chronological flow of dates and experience, the employer rejects it as they do not have the time to figure out your experience.
How To Correct This:
Ensure that there is a chronological flow of ideas and information on your CV that correlate with your cover letter. This ensures that the recruitment manager can follow your skills and experience with ease and make a decision based on the available position.

• You Do Not Qualify for The Advertised Position

Finding a job has become hard in the current economic climate and as such, most job seekers apply for open positions even if they just meet the basic qualifications for the job. This is one of the main reasons why your CV will not be read, as recruitment managers will consider you incapable of handling the job. It can lead to frustrations as you constantly feel rejected despite having some skills that you find applicable to the job.
How To Correct This:
Ensure that your skills and experiences fit the job’s requirements as closely as possible. Narrow your job search to only those jobs that match your qualifications closely to avoid rejection.

• Failure to Customise Your CV

Every job advertisement is unique as different companies look for different skills and experiences. However, most job seekers have a standard CV that they submit for every job advertisement.
A HR manager quickly skims through each CV and if your CV does not immediately sell you as a good candidate for the job, chances are very high that it will not be read thoroughly.
How To Correct This:
Once you read through a job advertisement, go through your CV and remove any information that is not relevant to the job. Tailor your CV to suit each job application so as to improve its chances of being read. This also shows focus and attention to details.

• Lack of Contact Information

Believe it or not, some candidates submit their CVs with no contact details. It often baffles employers how a well-written CV can lack such vital information as there is no way of reaching out to the candidate. CV writing is a critical undertaking that requires close attention. Candidates who provide unprofessional email addresses also leave a hugely negative impression. No one is looking to hire the next candy_princess@gmail.com.
How To Correct This:
Pay close attention to contact information, apart from ensuring that your CV is bespoke. Ensure that your contact information is accurate and correct. Provide a logical email address and a phone number that you can be reached on anytime. Ensure that your email address is professional. A fancy email just does not show seriousness.

• Spelling and Grammatical Mistakes

Surely, sending a CV with grammatical, spelling and formatting errors will definitely reduce its chances of being read. One crucial skill that employers look for is attention to details. Mistakes communicate carelessness and laziness. You do not want to be qualified for a job and lose out due to avoidable mistakes. Recruiters hate carelessness so do not give them an excuse to bin your CV effortlessly.
How To Correct This:
Mistakes are the surest way to ensure that your CV is not read. Avoid falling victim to this error by carefully going through your CV before submitting it. This will give you a chance to weed out any grammatical, spelling or formatting mistakes you may have made. You can also ask a friend to go through your CV just in case you missed something out. This is your chance to dazzle so do not take any chances with it.
Let us know your CV writing tips in the comments!