Three overlooked CV mistakes to avoid

Beyond the obvious — such as typos and poor grammar, unprofessional-sounding email address and embellished career history — there are other CV errors that you may not realise can impact your success of being offered an interview for a new job.

Here are the top three overlooked CV mistakes to avoid in your CV.

1. An exhaustive list of skills

Many candidates still assume companies and recruiters want to see every single skill. Some may use AI technology to digitally scan their CVs to make sure they covered as many keywords as possible. However, this usually does not give. Unfortunately, this could create the impression that you want your CV to match as many keywords as possible.

However, this is not going to do you any favours. Recruiters and employers will spend seconds scanning your CV. Moreover, the demand for strong, soft skills over technical has become a big theme for businesses.

2. Including your photo in a CV

Essentially, including your photograph in your CV opens up the gates to discrimination. Potential employers could decide to ignore your skills entirely and base their decision purely on race, age, gender and appearance.

You may decide the specific role you are applying for does require a photo (actors and models, for example), and that you’ll have better success landing the job with one.

It is your call to make, but in general, many employers – particularly in the corporate world – will not expect nor need your headshot.

3. Long and wordy introductions

As much as you’d love to elaborate and write a detailed Executive Summary or Professional Summary, However, it is highly likely that it would not be appreciated. A brief and concise introduction is preferred and will get you further than if you used meaningless buzzwords and don’t give the hirer or recruiter a sense of your actual goals.

While a CV needs to include all your top-selling points, a strong one is when you get to the point. The art is as much about what to leave out as what to include.

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