Don't make common CV errors!

 There are so many guides to writing a good CV that you may feel like you’ve heard it all before. The same advice is continually repeated because the same mistakes are continually made!

Don’t fall at the first hurdle. Your CV or job application needs to be really well crafted for you to have a chance to be interviewed. Most candidates are aware that spelling mistakes and grammatical errors can prove very costly but there are other not so errors that you also need to guard against.   ‬

‪Read on for tips on avoiding common pitfalls: ‬


*Avoid Cliches and Jargon

Every candidate could reel off a list of clichéd descriptions: ‘confident’ ‘enthusiastic’ ‘hard-working’, ‘self-motivated’, etc., and in fact many do, rendering them absolutely meaningless. Employers require evidence. Quantify your successes and describe exactly how your contribution has benefitted the organisation you worked in. Be very specific about what you did and the impact it had. 

* Keep It Brief

No CV should be longer than two A4 sides. A recent graduate should have a CV that is roughly one page and a more experienced professional may have one that is longer. Less is more. An overly long CV tells a recruiter that you are unable to write in a concise and selective manner.Make sure that the essential information appears first. If you have relevant work experience this should be made obvious early on –recruiters do not always read through to the end –give them a reason to be interested in your application from the beginning.  

*Check your file name!

Make it easy for an employer by saving your CV with a self-explanatory file name in which your name appears first e.g. BodeWilliams.CV.pdf  perhaps even include the job you are applying for e.g. GloriaMba.CV.accountant.doc. Don’t save it as “CV.doc” so that it is indistinguishable from hundreds of others or worse still as anything along the lines of “cv.version5”. The employer needs to be able to tell from the file name: who you are, what type of document it is and that it is aimed solely at them. 

*Check your personal details

So you’ve dedicated lots of time to writing a perfectly tailored CV clearly demonstrating evidence of your competencies…useless if you don’t include the correct contact details. Yes, this actually happens! Don’t be the candidate who is unreachable because you missed a digit on your phone number. It shows carelessness and makes the whole exercise a waste of your time!

*Send it!

Many candidates actually fail to attach their CV to their email. Needless to say this is a grave error that will likely get their email immediately deleted.  To avoid such a mistake attach the CV before you begin composing the email and BCC yourself to check that all the documents have been sent. 

I trust that after reading this, you won’t fall into any of these common pitfalls! Always triple check for errors, and ask a friend to give a second opinion. Errors are easily made, but not easily corrected. You only get one chance to make a good first impression.

Source: shortlistnigeria.com

Nice points bro, if only the recruiters would read it. UBA front desk officer recruitment comes to mind

davspog2:
Nice points bro, if only the recruiters would read it. UBA front desk officer recruitment comes to mind

Tnx bro! I think one just has to do one's best and leave the rest to God.talking about UBA Front Desk Officer recruitment, have they invited any people for a test/interview? Or they don't wanna push through with it any longer? Its really been so long