Have you ever wondered why the tens or even hundreds of jobs that you have sent out applications for, had no positive results? Now you are about to find out why! The truth is writing your CV requires expertise. The manner and process of sending the CV also do not take exemption to this – it requires proficiency. If not done aright, the results may be the same when not done at all. And this makes up the reasons why many job-seekers’ CV are dumped, day in, day out. From the premise above, the following below are thus the nine specific reasons why your CV is being dumped and you are never called for the next phase;
Errors in Grammar and Spelling is no doubt one of the most reasons why many job-seekers’ CVs are dumped. The truth is, it’s expected and in fact mandatory for a supposed degree holder to be able to construct a CV without spelling or grammatical errors. One of the most fundamental qualities that employers look for in candidates is the ability to pay attention to details – tiny and every detail. So, it is assumed that if a job-seeker finds it difficult to construct his or her CV without having spelling and grammatical errors, then that job-seeker may not be able to pay attention to details of job-tasks. Therefore, before you submit your CV, go through over and again. If possible, give to a friend or an expert to review before sending out. Truth is, you may probably not see some things that they are going to see. This is because you wrote it yourself and would easily assume it’s error-free until someone else vets it.
When we talk about formatting, we mean generally the style a document takes. It cuts across the sizes and themes of font of your document wordings; when to use bold, italics, underline and most especially the proper use of bullets. The truth is, all of the above have a way of distinguishing your CV from that of other Job Candidates. The appropriate font size is 10-12, while the appropriate font styles are Arial, Calibri and Time New Romans. Everything cannot be written in Bold, it should be used as headings or sub-headings and in some cases for emphasis. You should also state some activities in bullet point, no one has the time to read long and boring write-ups. Only the important ones should be stated and stated with bullets.
Also, before submitting an application, it’s appropriate that you convert from Word to PDF format, unless otherwise specified. This is because some of the formatting you used may change when the recruiter opens your CV with his or her own tool. With PDF, your content will not adjust haphazardly.
When we talk about structure, we mean the manner in which the CV is arranged into various sections and each content being in the appropriate place. You should not just put your contents together haphazardly, or just based on how you feel - It should be well arranged. It should be organized into various categories and each sub-category having its own arrangement too. For example, only information in the Header should be there, things in education or experience should not be there. They all should have their own place.
The truth is your CV should only reflect things that are in one way or the other related to your being hired. Any other thing there is only but sheer distraction and may hinder your opportunity of a potential employment. You should state only professional things, not information about your background that will not give you a competitive edge over others. Nobody cares about the position you are among your father’s children except it is indirectly related to a quality that you think might help sell you more.
This is definitely a bad habit. It starts just from the mail you send to your friends and gradually creeps into professional mails you send for job applications. How do you think an employer can recognize your job application amongst a pool of other candidates when you did not use a subject? There may be so many roles available in their firm at that point in time or may even offer other services. So the only way, they are able to recognize your mail as one sent for a job, is if the mail’s subject is well tailored to that effect.
Many job-seekers do not know that this is one of the reasons why their CVs are dumped. They fill in ridiculous email address in their CV or send an application with it. Email addresses such as Sexy4Jessica@gmail.com, Evans_Fineboy2002@gmail.com and etc. These types of mail addresses are unprofessional and as a matter of fact ridiculous. The appropriate kind of mail address should take your first name and surname. For example firstname_surname@domainname.com. E.g. Evans_David@yahoo.com or Evandavid@gmail.com or Evansdavid1@gmail.com. These are more appropriate.
This has been said over and again. Your CV should not be sent alone in a Job application. No matter how well written or professional-driven your CV is, if it is not accompanied by a cover letter, it is likely to be dumped. It’s as good as sending a TV set to someone without the accompanying it with documents like invoice, receipt or even the TV manual along. A cover letter should always accompany your CV as that is what they will even see first. A CV without a cover letter is like an empty mail.
As stated above, your Cover letter is often what the recruiter comes across before your CV. So if it is not well written, in a way that is tailored to the role or best sells your strengths to the recruiter, tendencies are that your CV will be dumped. Pay more attention to your Cover letter as much as you do to your CV. The reason that if the recruiter comes in contact with your cover letter before your CV, if it is not well written, your CV may eventually be dumped.
As obvious as this is, many job-seekers still fall for this. Some think it’s like a “try your luck” game or a trial and error activity where if one doesn’t work, the other will. But the opposite is quite the case. Application for jobs should be focused and specific. People who get their CVs to meet a recruiter are people who apply with specificity in the jobs advertised. You cannot be an entry level accountant applying for the position of a senior level web developer. It doesn’t follow, your CV will definitely be dumped.
From all that was stated above, if you do not want your CV to be dumped like that of any random applicant, then you must be intentional. You must be intentional about your CV content. Put things that sells your strength more than it exposes your weaknesses. You can also make use of our CV builder. If you want to end previous events from recurring, then you probably will have to give it a new approach.
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