Spelling and Grammar
The most obvious ones are spelling and grammar. It is surprising just how many CVs we receive with spelling and grammar faults. In fact it is very rare indeed to receive a CV without at least some spelling and grammar faults. It is a mistake to think that an employer will not spot your mistakes. Mistakes show a lack of thoroughness and this alone could cost you your job.

Format
Getting the format right is much harder than it sounds. Not only does the CV have to be of the correct length, but needs to have the right balance too. In addition to all of this it needs to look good, and read easily. If a CV doesn't look the part then there is a chance that it may never be read. Employers are very busy people, and don't always have time to read every CV. No matter how good the content is on your CV, if it does not look professional enough it could go straight in the bin.

Content
The CV content is possibly the hardest part to get right. Even if you possess excellent English skills, there are correct and incorrect ways of putting across the content on your CV. Get the content right (and everything else on your CV) and you could land the job of your dreams, but get it wrong and you are simply wasting your time.

The Profile
If you break your CV down into sections, the hardest section to get right is the profile. We find that at least 90% of the profiles we receive need improving, and the vast majority need completely re-writing as many people simply just do not have the necessary skills and experience to write a good profile. This is highly significant because a good profile is often what sets a good CV apart from an average CV.

The X factor
Even if you have a CV with no errors, good content, and excellent format you are still not guaranteed an interview. The reason for this is that your CV also needs to stand out from the crowd. There are often 50 or more applicants for each job. If you send off your CV without correctly addressing the problem 'how do I make my CV stand out?' then the chances are it could just get lost in the pile.

Other Mistakes
The mistakes mentioned above are just some of the many mistakes which people make when they create their CV. The vast majority of CVs we receive are from people who think that they have not made any mistakes, but they want to double check just in case. These same people are then astonished when they discover just how many mistakes we find and just how many improvements we make.

How can I avoid mistakes?
Well you can always spend an hour or two examining your CV to try to find areas for improvement.
If you do this the chances are that you will make some improvements, but unless you really do know what you are looking for, there will still be errors and areas which need improving.

Alternatively the best way to avoid mistakes is to get expert advice. Fortunately we have expert advice for you right here at prices which are very reasonable indeed for the quality of service we provide. Please click here for our services page.