1. Bad English: A recruiter is looking for an excuse not to consider your application, and bad grammar gives him an excuse to put your application in the special file marked the bin. A badly written CV shows you are disinterested or that you just can ‘t spell. Either way, it’s fatal. Check it yourself, and get someone else to go over your CV – it is easy to miss mistakes in your own copy.
3. Don’t be passive: Can you solve problems, will you walk into your job running? If you can – great – you’re what your employer is looking for. The question is: have you communicated this with your CV?
5. Customization counts: One size does not fill all. Read the job specification carefully. Look for key words in the text the reveal the kind of personality being looked for, and what the employer expects the right candidate to be able to deliver.
8. Design: Make your CV pleasing to the eye. How your CV is presented tells a story about you. Are you visually aware, do you care enough about the job to present the information well? Your CV is sending signals to your employer. Make sure they are the right ones.
9. Don’t put it off: If you see a job you’re interested in, don’t delay putting together the application – do it the same day and send it the same day.
