Key takeaways
- A CV mistake is anything that makes a recruiter stop reading before they reach your experience: a typo, an odd email address, a wall of text or a date that does not add up.
- In The Harris Poll's 2018 survey for CareerBuilder in the US, 77% of hiring managers said typos or bad grammar get a CV rejected on the spot.
- The most common content mistake is sending the same CV to every job: it does not show, in the first few lines, that you meet what the advert asks for.
- The review that catches the most mistakes is someone else's, with the job advert next to the CV.
Why a CV gets rejected in seconds
Nobody rejects a CV for no reason. They reject it because, with little time and a pile of applications, they are looking for a quick reason to move on, and some mistakes hand them one before they have read your experience. A typo in the first line, an email address that looks like a joke or a ten-line paragraph all say «not worth carrying on».
The good news is that most of these mistakes have nothing to do with your career, only with how it is presented. That makes them the cheapest to fix: someone with solid experience can be screened out for a five-minute slip, while someone with fewer years can pass the first sift because their CV reads cleanly and answers the advert.
of the hiring managers surveyed by The Harris Poll for CareerBuilder in 2018, in the US, said typos or bad grammar are an instant deal breaker.
Source: The Harris Poll for CareerBuilder, survey of more than 1,100 hiring managers and HR professionals, US, June and July 2018 (published by CBIA)said they spend less than a minute on each CV, and 23% less than 30 seconds, in the same survey.
Source: The Harris Poll for CareerBuilder, survey of more than 1,100 hiring managers and HR professionals, US, June and July 2018 (published by CBIA)was the average initial screen of a CV in Ladders' 2018 eye-tracking study.
Source: Ladders, Eye-Tracking Study, 2018The CV mistakes that get you rejected most, according to employers
The CareerBuilder survey asked what gets a CV rejected without further reading. It was run in 2018 with more than 1,100 hiring managers and HR professionals in the US, so the exact order may differ in the UK. The pattern, though, appears in almost every guide: presentation first, then the absence of results, then a CV that has not been written for that employer.
Presentation mistakes: what shows before anyone reads
These are the mistakes that show at first glance, before anyone reads what you did. In the National Careers Service research, 61% of the advisers surveyed named spelling errors among the most common CV mistakes. Spellcheck set to UK English catches some of them; reading aloud and a second pair of eyes catch the rest.
| Mistake | Why it gets you rejected | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Typos and spelling errors | They read as carelessness, and carelessness suggests the same at work | Spellcheck in UK English, reading it aloud and someone else reading it |
| Unprofessional email address | A nickname undermines you before you start | An address with your first name and surname, used only for applications |
| Long paragraphs | Nobody reads a ten-line block in seconds | Bullet points of one or two lines that start with a verb |
| Busy design or several columns | It distracts the reader and can confuse an applicant tracking system (ATS) | One column, one typeface, clear headings |
| File with a generic name | «CV final2.docx» gets lost among a hundred files | Your name in the file name and the format the advert asks for, if it asks for one |
Content mistakes: what it says and what is missing
A CV can be flawless and still fail because it does not answer what the advert asks. In research by the National Careers Service in England, close to 80% of the 196 advisers surveyed said the most common mistake is sending generic CVs, and 66% named it as the mistake most likely to stop someone reaching interview. Sending the same CV everywhere is not a writing problem: it is a time-saving decision that costs you.
| Mistake | Why it gets you rejected | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The same CV for every job | What the advert asks for is not near the top, or not there at all | Reorder your profile and achievements around the advert, using its words |
| Duties without results | It says what you were asked to do, not how well you did it | Verb, what you did and what changed, with a figure or a scope |
| Requirements the reader cannot find | If they cannot spot a requirement in seconds, they assume you lack it | Name each requirement you meet in your profile or in the first achievement of the role |
| Old or irrelevant information | Courses from twenty years ago or unrelated hobbies take the place of what matters | Cut whatever does not help with this advert |
| Dates that do not add up | A job that ends after the next one starts raises questions | Check the month and year of every role and explain gaps in one line |
Trust mistakes: what makes the reader doubt everything
Some mistakes do not get you rejected on looks, but because they cast doubt on the rest. A job title that sounds grander than it was, a figure you could not explain or a tool you used twice listed as «advanced». In the same CareerBuilder survey, 75% of HR managers said they had caught a lie on a CV.
The problem is not only that it comes out at interview: one inflated detail calls the true ones into question. When in doubt, go for the conservative version: the lowest figure you remember for certain, the honest verb for a team achievement and your real level in each tool.
At Cernoria we see it this way: a CV is not rejected for what you lack, but for what distracts from what you have. Removing a mistake is worth more than adding a line.
Personal details: what to leave off a UK CV
Personal details are one of the easiest places to put too much. The National Careers Service is explicit: you should not include your age, your date of birth, whether you are married or your nationality. Every line spent on those details is a line your experience could use.
What does belong at the top: your name, town or city, phone number, email address and, if it helps, a link to your LinkedIn profile. Your full postal address is rarely needed at this stage.
An example: the same CV before and after the review
An invented case to see the checklist in action. Tom Example is a logistics analyst in Leeds applying for a role that asks for stock control, advanced Excel and supplier management. This is how his CV opened before and after a twenty-minute review.
Before, details: «Tom Example. Date of birth 00/00/0000. Married, two children. [email protected]».
After, details: «Tom Example. Leeds. 07000 000000. [email protected]».
Before, profile: «Hard-working and proactive team player keen to learn and grow within a leading company».
After, profile: «Logistics analyst with five years in stock control and supplier management. Advanced Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP) and experience running cycle counts».
Before, first line of the role: «Responsible for stock and suppliers, producing reports and other duties».
After, first line of the role: «Introduced weekly cycle counts, cutting the annual stock discrepancy from 4% to 1%».
Also: he fixed two typos («responsable», «supliers»), put every date in month and year, and removed a 2009 course unrelated to the role.
The checklist to run before you send your CV
Copy this list and run it over your CV every time you tailor it to an advert. If any item gets a «no», fix it before you send it.
- Have I run spellcheck in UK English and read it aloud from start to finish?
- Does my email address use my name?
- Have I left off my age, date of birth, marital status and nationality?
- Do my profile and the first achievement of each role answer what the advert asks for?
- Does each requirement I meet appear in the advert's own words?
- Do my achievements say what changed, and could I explain each one at interview?
- Are all dates in the same format and do they add up?
- Are there no paragraphs longer than two lines?
- Is the layout a single column that reads well on a phone?
- Is the length right for my experience?
- Does the file name include my name, in the format the advert asks for?
- Has someone else read it with the advert next to it?
How to review your CV in twenty minutes
A review works better in stages than in one read. Your brain corrects what it expects to see, which is why your own mistakes slip through; another reader sees what you no longer can.
- Let it rest
Finish tailoring the CV and review it a little later, or the next day. With fresh eyes, the typos and the unclear sentences stand out.
- Read it next to the advert
Mark each requirement and find where your CV answers it. Anything you cannot find in ten seconds, the recruiter will not find either.
- Read it aloud
Reading aloud exposes repeated words, overlong sentences and the errors spellcheck misses.
- Ask for a second read
Someone you trust who does not know your work is ideal: if they do not understand a line, neither will the recruiter.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common CV mistakes?
The most common are spelling errors, sending the same CV to every job, listing duties without results, an unprofessional email address and long paragraphs. Nearly all of them can be fixed by reviewing the CV with the advert next to it.
Can one typo get my CV rejected?
Yes, it is the most cited reason for rejection. In The Harris Poll's 2018 survey for CareerBuilder in the US, 77% of hiring managers said typos or bad grammar are an instant deal breaker.
Should I put my date of birth on my CV?
No, not on a UK CV. The National Careers Service says you should not include your age, your date of birth, whether you are married or your nationality, so leave those off and keep the space for your experience.
Is it a mistake to send the same CV to every job?
Yes, it is the content mistake that holds people back most: National Careers Service advisers named generic CVs as the most common mistake. You do not need to rewrite it each time, just reorder your profile and achievements around each advert.
How should I check my CV for mistakes before sending it?
Check it in four steps: let it rest, read it next to the advert, read it aloud and ask someone else to read it. Then run the checklist in this article over it, item by item.
Sources
- The Harris Poll for CareerBuilder, survey of more than 1,100 hiring managers and HR professionals, US, June and July 2018 (published by CBIA)
- Ladders, Eye-Tracking Study, 2018
- National Careers Service, research on CV mistakes, 196 advisers, England, 2013 (published by HRZone)
- National Careers Service, CV sections
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