How a CV can ruin chances of getting a job

Competition for jobs keeps increasing every day and this means the more qualifications and exprience, the better your chances of getting a good job.

That is often the norm, but all those dreams can be shattered by a poorly written or presented curriculum vitae (CV).

A poorly written or presented CV, according to Joan Nakaye, a human resource consultant, usually contains many direct and technical errors.

Unproven claims, for example, of someone claiming to have been ‘salesman of the year' without proof does not do your CV any justice before the interviewers.

Giving too much detail on qualifications and experience, sometimes when they are not even relevant to the job one is seeking, may also stand in the way of success.

Nakaye says using cliché lines such as ‘I am a proven team player' or irrelevant content such as reasons why you left your previous job and what went wrong, choosing a difficult to read font when typing out your CV, having informal colours such as pink and unnecessary logos in the CV will get your CV sidelined.

On top of that, Nakaye says having unexplained gaps in your career pursuits, telling lies about your experience and qualifications can also have it thrown out.

Glaring spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, having an extremely lengthy CV and including photographs which have not been asked for could land your ‘papers' into the dust-bin.

What to include

While it is important to make sure you avoid all the above mistakes as you put your CV together and later present it to potential employers, there are a number of attributes you can add to your CV to make it outstanding from the crowd of fellow applicants.

James Opio, a recruitment adviser, says starting your CV with a strong summary of your accomplishments and responsibilities will attract the attention of whoever is looking through it.

"Chances are high they will read to the end and as a result, your chances of getting the position you applied for will increase."

While most people love to go on and on about the positions and responsibilities they have previously held, emphasising results you achieved at those jobs will be a much better approach, according to Opio.

He says you include a sales position, state how you increased new product sales and you will stand out.

A good CV will remain good by most standards, but you can move your CV from good to exceptional by tweaking it to fit the needs and expectations of the job, Opio notes.

For example, you might have a background in statistics yet the job you are applying for is in auditing or accounting.

"In order to stand higher chances of getting the job, show how relevant your skills are to this particular job and emphasise any previous experience directly or closely related to audit or accounting," Opio says.

Whatever else you accomplished in the world of data and statistics can come in secondary. Alfred Kaggwa, a business coach, advises that while you might be good at what you do.

For example as an accountant or human resource officer, you might need to demonstrate some key industry knowledge in the sector where your prospective employer operates.

"For example, they might be in the logistics business and adding one or two indicators and how you can help reverse them, if negative or enhance them if positive through being hired, will add considerable value to your CV," Kaggwa says.

Kaggwa concludes that as you emphasise your key strengths and make your case for being hired, power words like achieved, implemented, innovative, and adaptable will also add some weight to your CV and make it outstanding too.