If there is anything that sells you better to your prospective
employer, it is your Curriculum Vitae (CV). Unlike previous years when
application letter is the order of the day, nowadays, employers ask applicants
to submit just their CV which they feel is more detailed than the application
letter. Of course a CV is more detailed! Therefore, your CV should be
structured in such a way that it meets the general criteria of any
organisation. In other words, it should be standard and able to say more about
you.
How many organisations have you submitted your CV? Have you ever
asked yourself why you don't get shortlisted by those organisations? You will get to know that in this article as it explains in detail ten (10) reasons why your CV never makes you get shortlisted:
1. Lack of Subject Matter
It is no news that most job applications and CV today are sent
via email, and as such, these applications and CV should have a subject. Failure
to fill in the subject field only tells your prospective employer how
unprepared you are for the recruitment process. The subject should be a unique
identifier of the applicant and must reflect the content of the email and its
attachment(s). Do not use subjects like 'Fwd,' 'Resume,' and 'My CV.' Most
times, we send CV based on request, so if you are sending your CV to someone
who requested it, you can use your name in the subject field, e.g., Tammy
Reuben's CV. Following instructions of the advertised position is also very
vital. If the instructions say quote the Job Reference in the subject field,
you should do so. If there are no instructions then ensure the Job Title and
Job Reference are included in the subject field.
2. No Content
Sending just an attached CV to an organisation can disqualify you and
abort your chances of getting a job. It shows that you are not prepared for the job. Empty email
content can be interpreted as having nothing to say, and I am sure you don't
expect anyone to listen to you when you have nothing to say. This will make your
prospective employer to quickly move on to those applicants who have something to
say. Emails that only have the words ‘Find attached’, ‘See attached CV for your
perusal’ depict little or no effort and consequently portray you as one who is
lazy and ineffective. Emails that depict a long trail of the CV being forwarded
to several employers also appear unprepared. The employer must not see evidence
of your active job search. You should use "Bcc" if you have to send an email to
multiple people. That way, they cannot see the other recipients of the email.
3. Grammatical Errors:
This is where most persons have issues, but don't panic
because you can correct all errors on this blog. If the job requires good
written communication skills, you don't need a soothsayer to tell you that
wrong use of language can abort your CV. Grammatical errors take different
forms: beginning a sentence with a small letter, writing the pronoun 'I' in
small letter 'i,' using 'am' instead of 'I am' or 'I'm,' wrong use of
punctuation marks, lack of concord etc.
4. Spelling Errors:
Like Grammatical errors, if the job requires strong written
communication skills, spelling errors can abort the application process. Avoid
the use of shorthand. Your CV is not your Facebook app or any other social
networking app where the use of shorthand is not frowned at. Always check your
CV for spelling errors. You can as well give to some intelligent persons to
help proofread and edit it because it is possible that you might not see all
the errors yourself.
5. Unqualified Applications
Although I have said it in my article on 'How to Write an
Application Letter,' I would love to say it here again, 'I have seen my
employer read and tore someone's application letter because it was not
qualified.' There are many unqualified applications on the desk and in the
waste bin of many recruiters. For your application to be qualified and for you
to be a qualified applicant in any organisation, you should only focus on
applying for jobs that you are qualified for. It is so appalling that the lack
of employment opportunities in Nigeria has propelled her citizens to apply for
the very few available ones irrespective of their qualifications. No
organisation wants to waste time and resources teaching any employee his/her
job, and this is where experience (as a criterion) comes in. Therefore, you
should spend time building yourself rather than wasting time applying for
positions you are not qualified for.
6. Lack of
Originality:
Are you still wondering why your name is not shortlisted for that
job but that of your friend is shortlisted when you know fully well that you
copied the information on your CV somewhere? If you copied the application or
CV of another applicant, it is difficult to tell who the original writer is.
You never can tell the numbers of persons that have applied or who will apply
for the position you are applying for in that same organisation. When an
employer starts seeing similar applications with the same email, experience, cover letter or career objective and even phone number, the employer will no
doubt push these applications aside. Therefore, originality is very important.
The content of your application or CV should be one of its kind anywhere.
7. Poor Structure/Pattern
The structure of your CV matters a lot. Do not use a CV template
or format that makes it difficult to follow your Career Objective, qualifications, skills and work experience. If you do this, you do it at your
own risk. There is no acceptable structure or pattern of a CV but elements like
career objective and profile should come first. The other elements depend on
your selling point. If you attended reputable schools, you should put education
first. If you have worked in well known companies then you can start with your
working experience. Your best foot should always take the lead. You can get
good CV templates online and use them as guides.
8. Lack of Value:
Value has to do with your knowledge, skills, goals achieved, work
experience and why should the employer pick you. If your CV does not showcase
all these, then, it lacks value and no employer would want to employ someone who
cannot add values to his/her organisation.
9. Irrelevant Information:
Endeavour not to provide information that may be used to your own
disadvantage. Think twice before stating certain information on your CV.
Give information that are relevant to the job you are applying for. These days, I see so many persons attaching their pictures (passports) to their CV. Most
times, I am tempted to ask if they are applying for a modelling job. If you are
not applying for a modelling job and you are not a model, it is safer not to put
your picture in your CV. Some days ago, a friend of mine was telling me how an
applicant in his organisation was not shortlisted because of his physical
appearance on his passport.
10. Lack of Personality
Your CV should showcase your personality. Your interests (e.g.
travelling, making research) are some of the areas that can showcase your
personality. Do not make use of 'hobbies' instead of 'interest' as it may sound less
professional. Poorly written CV can give the impression of not being diligent,
paying little attention to detail, lacking creativity and even having low
intelligence because employers are totally interested in who you are as well as what
skills and experience you possess.
In sum, in spite of the high unemployment rate and the too many
persons applying for a position, you will undoubtedly be asked to come for an
interview if you take into cognizance the aforementioned. Good luck!