Writing and sending in your CV to the employer is typically the only way you can gain an interview. You can of course also walk into the business with your CV and hand it in directly, which we would highly recommend if possible. But the approach is still the same – the employer will not hire you without seeing your credentials on a CV.
If the candidate fails to convince the employer with their CV that they are the right person for the job, they will be thrown onto the ‘reject’ pile. There are three main reasons why every employer rejects a CV, and if you can avoid them you are going to give your interview chances a well deserved boost!
Here are the 3 reasons why your CV will be rejected and how to avoid them.
Spelling and grammatical errors
An employer will come across some kind of written error in over a third of the applications they receive. This is a huge number and continues to frustrate hiring managers to this very day. But why does it matter?
Having this kind of error on your CV shows a lack of care. Your ability to check your own accuracy is at stake here. If you can’t send an error free CV to the employer you are not the diligent candidate they are looking for.
Those simple mistakes could easily be avoided by using a spell checker, your own keen eyes and someone else. Perfection matters to the employer, so get it right the first time if you want to see the inside of an interview room.
See some top spelling and grammar tips for your CV or resume here.
Another simple mistake people frequently make is to simply copy from other peoples’ CVs or templates. Yes, these template CVs sound great – but employers can spot a generic personal statement a mile off! In fact, many now use plagiarism checkers to satisfy themselves that the CV is original and genuine. Run yours through a checker such as www.clonewolf.com or www.plagiarismchecker.net before you start distributing it.
No achievements
The employer will have a hard time believing the claims of a candidate’s CV if there are no achievements. Those indicators of performance matter greatly to the employer as they want to be able to see how well you’ve performed in the past.
If you decide to write a CV that focuses only on providing skills, qualifications and experience, you are not telling the whole story. They will receive lots of other applications just as qualified as you, so make yours stand out with some outstanding achievements.
Bonus tip – create a whole new section on your CV dedicated to your achievements and accolades. Give a brief description of how you achieved what you did, and what the end result was. You should also provide examples of your performance within your work history section. Show – don’t just tell!
Find out more about detailing achievements on your CV here.
Too generic
When applying for jobs in the past have you always used the same CV each time? If the answer is yes, this is going to be one of the main reasons why you get overlooked for an interview.
When writing a CV your goal is to show the employer why you are suitable for the position. You may sometimes get away with listing all of your credentials with no real focus, but for the most part you will lose out to someone who has tailored their application to the role and the company.
Read the job advert and pay close attention to the job description. Within here you will find key pieces of information that will help you to write your CV. You can match the important keywords for the skills and personal attributes, so the employer can see you are on the same page. Learn more about tailoring your CV to the role here.
Research the company before you apply so you understand what makes them tick. Find out what product or service they sell and who their customers are. You can then hone in on what they want to see from a CV and provide more relevant information. For example, if you were applying for a hospitality role you would most likely need to write a CV that oozes rapport building, friendliness and exceptional customer service. But there will also be other aspects within the business that they value the most. So find out how they function to get a better understanding of the type of employee they want.