Writing a cv is difficult for most people. After all, it should not only
provide the recruiter with a great first impression, it should also be adjusted
to the position that you are applying for and above all it should make sure
that your resume ends up on the ‘candidates to meet’-pile.
There are a million reasons why you might or might not be invited for an
interview. There are however only a few simple ways to get your cv tossed into
the reject pile, without much consideration.
· Typos and spelling errors
It must have been said a thousand times… grammatical and spelling errors
are a sure way to get rejected but still…I encounter a lot of errors when reviewing
a cv. We all make spelling errors (I know that I do) and spelling checks won’t
discover every mistake. It is wise to ask someone else (or even 2 people) to
proofread your cv to make sure that all the little mistakes are corrected.
· Incorrect information
No one is a perfect match to a position description so it might be
tempting to brush up the information to meet all criteria. You may want to
spice it up a little to be considered for a more senior position. If you are
looking for a career change into a position with less responsibilities, you
might want to somewhat downsize your job titles. If you had some wrong or illogical
career choices, you may want to leave them out. Bad plan, because, even if it
would lead to a job interview, you will need to come clean at some point and
the connection of trust will be broken immediately.
It is better to write a cv with the clear dates, facts, responsibilities
and achievements and use the summary to indicate why you would be a suitable
candidate. In the summary, you can briefly explain some career choices and
aspirations without providing incorrect information about the facts. It will
give the impression that you have thought through why you are applying for a
certain job.
· No accompanying note
It gives me the jitters to receive an e-mail, mentioning only ‘please
find enclosed my cv’. It may seem arrogant but if I make the effort to spend
time reviewing your resume, I find it pleasant that you address me in a
personal way, explaining why you are sending your cv and why you believe that
you qualify.
Is it really true that if you make one of the 3 mistakes above that I will
not consider your application? Of course not... A cv only says so much about a
person but it is the first impression that you give a potential employer. Avoiding
these 3 simple errors will increase your chances of making a good impression.
As I strongly believe that a person is much more than merely a CV, we
will be launching in the coming weeks a video-pitching tool that will allow you
to record a short video to accompany your cv and to give us a broader view of
the person behind the word document. Exciting times 😊! This and more to come beginning of November.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Isabel
Through
a personalized and tailor-made approach, Ingenium Executive Search aspires to
assist you in attracting the right talent that matches the DNA of your company
Check
out our website http://www.ingenium-search.be
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