A recruiter will spend an average of 6-8 seconds scanning through a CV before deciding whether the candidate is a good match or not.
As a result, they have perfected the technique and know exactly what they’re looking out for.
On the one hand, they’re looking for specific keywords and an easy-to-read format. On the other, they are looking for mistakes and other major red flags.
Sure, these mistakes are bad at any stage in your career, but getting your CV wrong when you’re a more experienced professional can be even more damaging.
So, to ensure you only submit the best possible application, we’ve identified five of the most common warning signs that recruiters are looking out for.
Here’s how to tackle these red flags head-on to improve your chances of landing an interview.
An unprofessional email address
It’s right there, at the top of the page and so glaringly obvious to the recruiter, warning sign number one – an unprofessional email address.
At this stage in your career, you should have a simple and professional email address, and if for whatever reason you don’t, these only take a few minutes to set up.
Typically, it’s best to stick with your name, initials or perhaps the name of your company if you’re a freelancer or contractor.
Be sure to avoid silly, rude or confusing email addresses that you’ve had since you set up MSN back in the noughties. These look unprofessional, especially if you’ve been in the industry for years now and have ample opportunity to set up a new account.
A generic application
From the moment the recruiter scans over your personal profile and core skills section, they’ll be able to tell whether you’ve taken the time to tailor your application or not.
So you should never just fire off the same application to multiple roles as this looks lazy and disinterested, and let’s face it, you’ll drastically reduce your chances of securing an interview.
Instead, you need to prove to the recruiter that you’re genuinely interested in the role and company. This also gives you the opportunity to match your experience with the key requirements that have been outlined in the job description.
You can also mirror the keywords, skills and language the employer has used. This makes it much easier for the recruiter to skim through and identify whether or not you’re a good fit for the role.
Unexplained employment gaps
There are lots of reasons you might have a gap in your employment history. Perhaps you were unwell or caring for a family member who was ill, maybe you were on parental leave or you may have chosen to take a career break or go travelling.
Whatever your reason, it’s best not to ignore visible gaps as this looks more suspicious. Instead, it’s best to be as honest as possible about where you were and what you were doing.
You should provide a clear and concise explanation either in your employment history or your personal profile explaining the gap.
If you feel like you learned some important new skills or had relevant experiences during your time off, you could even go into more detail about what this experience taught you and how this has made you better at your job.
Not showcasing your achievements
You can include a personal profile, key skills section, employment history and your most relevant qualifications, but this is unlikely to impress if you don’t include any of your achievements.
Unfortunately, this is a mistake professionals make far too often. Writing out a list of responsibilities is not enough. You need to make sure you also include examples of your key achievements from your time in the role.
If you can quantify these achievements or provide evidence, that’s even better.
That way, as the recruiter skims through your CV, they are more likely to be drawn to these figures, whether that’s numbers, percentages or currency. So don’t neglect this important part of your application.
Better still, if you can tailor your achievements to reflect the skills outlined in the job description.
Spelling mistakes
Finally, it would be remiss of us not to mention spelling mistakes. While this might seem obvious, you’d be surprised how many professionals still get this wrong, and recruiters can spot spelling and grammatical errors from a mile away.
With that in mind, you need to make sure you proofread your application several times before submitting it.
We also recommend having a friend or family member read it over for you, perhaps a couple of times. There are also free online spell checkers you can use just to be triple sure.
Don’t neglect these warning signs
It doesn’t matter how many jobs you’ve had or your current position, these red flags can cost even the most skilled experts the job. So keep these in mind when writing your next application to increase your chances of securing an interview.
Read the full article here
