Basic CV Errors

You would not believe the litany of basic, stupid and thoughtless errors that people make when writing their CV. Sloppy, badly-presented CV's reflect a sloppy, careless attitude. And if someone is happy to present themselves for consideration with this as a basis then they deserve to have their CV filed in the bin!

Things which most certainly won't help you win...

• Unusual or wacky font - Difficult to read = bin
• Name at bottom of page instead of top. If you're looking for something specific amongst a load of papers you look at the top not the bottom
• Unusual name – are you male or female? how do you pronounce it?
• Undated CV. Just useless!
• Wrong address or no address. As above
• Age: 37 instead of Date of Birth. You could have been 37 four years ago!
• Period of employment 1999 – 2000. This could be one month or two years!
• Surname spelt two different ways - yes, believe it or not!
• Incorrect mobile phone number - Dear, oh dear!
• Most recent position not listed first. Generally accepted norm is that most recent is first since it is potentially the most relevant
• Mixed fonts and sizes - just make it more difficult to read
• Blocks of Text – No White Space – Poor Layout = lack of consideration for the reader - difficult to read = bin
• Hidden credentials - unforgiveable. This may cost you the position.
• Unexplained gaps - Employers and agencies don't like gaps. Why are they there. Something to hide? Doubts = possible bin.
• Education not listed - Why not? = doubts raised = possible bin.
• No “action” words / Passive Tense / dull / boring - People who read a lot of CV's want to see that certain "Spark"!
• No summary at the beginning - makes the reader and evaluator work harder = possible bin
• 3 places at one time - Oh yes I'm afraid so = possible bin.
• No interests or hobbies listed - Sure, you're going for a job but these give a good insight into a persons character. If you have no interests or hobbies that's not necessarily seen as a good thing by employers
• No explanation of a non-household-name company - Sure, you know what they do but most probably nobody else does
• Strange job title - Is this relevant to the position being applied for? Maybe it is but you can't take it for granted
• Company specific TLA’s (three letter acronyms) - Sure mean something to you but most probably not to anyone else
• Spelling mistakes - Absolutely no excuse!
• Staccato phrases - difficult to read meaningfully in the context of a CV that is meant to be a cohesive document
• Ridiculous objectives “ I want to create a company which makes its stakeholders wealthy and which, whilst at the same time adhering to the ideals of true capitalist principles, promotes the well being of its employees.” - Of course you do. Don't we all.
• Subjective phrases – “I became quite skilled at…” - I'm sure you did.
• Wacky email addresses - not businesslike or suitable for a professional CV
• Very short stays – unless specifically a contract position - don't you get on with people?
• No skills matrix (e.g. for an IT Position) - Make it easy for the reader!
• List as having attended a course which prepares you for certification and no mention of taking the exam - Can only assume you failed.
• Mobile not listed – no way of contacting if on your way to an interview and there's a problem
• Dreadful grammar – “I done the…”
• 1998 – 89. Self-explanatory. Attention to detail? I don't think so.
• I was a “Technical Architect” – but no mention of the technologies. Very interesting but not terribly helpful
• “Extreme” Hobbies - can be off-putting to an employer. Base-jumping might give you a massive adrenalin rush but ultimately an employer wants to be safe in the comfort that you're more than likely to turn up for work on Monday.

Tangibles & Intangibles

Selling something  tangible is selling something that you can see, touch, feel, turn upside-down, paint blue etc. Selling something intangible is selling something that in essence doesn’t exist in reality – it can’t be touched or stored but it most certainly can be felt! Your personality and your attitude for instance. Some call it your persona.

Applied to writing your CV and attending interview how does tangible differ from intangible?

Well, your CV is all about intangibles – your qualities, your knowledge your experiences, your aspirations etc whilst the interview embraces your physical attributes as well – your dress, your demeanour, your handshake, your eye-contact and so on. 

You will be questioned on everything contained within your CV as well so the interview itself is perhaps considered as potentially even more important than the written CV alone.

You can't afford to make a mistake!

How many times have you agonized over buying something substantial – car, furniture, holiday? Most of us agonize because we don’t want to make a mistake. No. not even that! We can’t afford to make a mistake! And neither can an employer. 

And when you’ve finally taken the plunge and made the purchase – what happens next? You’re overcome by feelings of doubt! Have I done the right thing? Will it work? Did I pay too much? Will others like it? Will I like it? This is known as “Buyers Remorse”, And so it goes on. Until… someone tells you that you’ve done exactly the right thing. Nothing like a vote of confidence for the self-esteem! Selling yourself on paper (your CV) and at interview is no different. On your CV you are selling you in the hope of making interview.

If you make interview you are hoping that you are the right candidate, the only candidate that they want. But if you’re selling then automatically someone else is buying, and that is why you need to understand the selling and buying cycle. Sometimes it’s referred to as “Sales for non-sales people” – but everybody sells to somebody every day, so we are all Sales People. It has also been said many times that selling is the highest form of professional communication and that the best sales people have the highest level of integrity. And nothing could be nearer the truth when you are talking about selling YOU! If you cannot get across all the positive things about yourself in a truthful and convincing manner, you will fail.

So, as a Sales Person, read on and learn how to master the challenge of Selling YOU!

Selling & Buying.

You've got to learn that getting a job is about selling and marketing yourself as a package; but what you need to be clear about is that if someone is SELLING then someone equally is BUYING and each has a defined process that they will follow, either consciously or subconsciously. In other words there is a SELLING CYCLE and a BUYING CYCLE. 

So in order to effectively SELL yourself, you need to understand HOW people buy. You do it yourself every day. No matter how small or how big the purchase you go through a conscious or subconscious buying cycle. Take buying a newspaper for instance… you either always buy the same one because you know that what it contains satisfies your needs, you like the look of the paper, the writing style of some or all of the columnists etc. Generally most of us don’t think too much when we reach the news stand but just occasionally we might be deflected towards an eye-catching headline in another publication and decide to investigate that. Now you have a decision to make – is the new one better than the old?

And if so why? Is it enough to make you buy it? Will you buy the new one as well as the old one or instead of? Or will your evaluation lead you to decide that you should stick with the original and move on to your next decision?

The point is, people make decisions all the time about all sorts of things – it’s just that they don’t register as decisions because they are generally familiar and occur every day. When it comes to major purchasing decisions the subconscious cycle is generally the same but the conscious buying cycle changes in intensity where larger amounts of money are at stake or where the product or service purchased can have long-term implications.

If you checked out Johari's Window...

... you'll have seen how the various panes fit together to present you as a person. 

The real point is... 

You must be comfortable with yourself when you go for interview. And the better you know yourself the better you can sell yourself. However, the challenge, if there is one, is to accept the fact that dealing with unknown aspects of your personality requires an openness that may not come naturally. 

Try experimenting, you might just find out something that will pleasantly surprise you!

Check out Johari's Window!

Before you can successfully sell and market a product you have to be intimately familiar with its features, strengths, benefits and weaknesses. Selling and marketing yourself is no different. Knowing yourself covers many aspects and the reason you need to know yourself is because of the necessity to interact with others. The better you know yourself the better you can adjust your approach if necessary at interview. One way of considering yourself in relation to others is to se your personality as a series of windows, with each window representing a different aspect of your personality as seen by yourself and as seen by others. This is Joharis Window. 

Winning at interview.

Knowing How To Express Who You Are       

Communicating your message effectively is the final piece of the jigsaw. You need to understand what factors come into play when being interviewed. Once you understand them you can harness them to make sure you come across confidently and enthusiastically.

Preparing yourself to win at interview is not easy. It takes effort and stamina. It takes staying-power and determination. As in any race, you have to have the will to win.

If you have the will to win and the mental strength to follow a course from beginning to end my book is the right place for you. If you want a quick fix solution requiring little or no effort, this isn't the place.