The Most Common CV Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)
Most CVs are not rejected because the candidate is unqualified. They are rejected because of small, avoidable mistakes that make a recruiter stop reading. The good news: every one of these is fixable in minutes.
1. Vague, duty-based bullet points
Writing "Responsible for managing social media" tells a recruiter nothing. It describes a job description, not your impact.
Fix: Start each bullet with an action verb and add a result. "Grew Instagram following from 2k to 18k in six months, driving a 30% rise in inbound leads."
2. No quantified results
Numbers are the fastest way to prove you delivered. A CV with zero metrics reads as untested.
Fix: Add numbers wherever you honestly can: revenue, percentages, time saved, team size, volume handled. Even rough figures beat none.
3. Typos and inconsistent formatting
A single typo signals carelessness. Inconsistent date formats, fonts, or bullet styles make you look disorganised.
Fix: Read it aloud, run a spell-check, and ask one other person to proofread. Pick one date format and one font, then apply them everywhere.
4. Too long or too dense
A recruiter spends seconds on the first pass. Walls of text and five-page CVs get skimmed and dropped.
Fix: Keep it to one or two pages. Use white space, short bullets, and clear headings so the eye can scan.
5. A generic, untailored CV
Sending the same CV to every job means it matches none of them well.
Fix: Mirror the language of the job posting. Move the most relevant experience to the top and cut what does not support this specific role.
6. Missing keywords
Many CVs are filtered by an applicant tracking system before a human sees them. No keywords means no match.
Fix: Pull the key skills and tools from the job description and weave them naturally into your bullets and skills section.
7. An unprofessional email or messy contact block
Small details cost you credibility before a recruiter reads a single bullet.
Fix: Use a simple firstname.lastname email, add a clean phone number and city, and link your LinkedIn profile.
A two-minute pre-send check
Before you hit send, scan for these seven. Fixing even three of them puts you ahead of most applicants in the same pile.