Hello everyone, I hope you are well and enjoying your weekend. The summer has almost ended and everyone is coming back and starting working. Many people though think that this time is perfect for them to start a new career beginning. Thus, during this time of the year, we get to see a lot of people applying for job positions as well as many companies that are actively creating job applications for new employees.
I have seen a bunch of CVs already and have noticed some common mistakes that may make you lose a chance for a job interview or seem a little unprepared in the eyes of the recruiters or the hiring Managers. Fear not though, as i am gonna help you avoid these common mistakes.
1. Send an Updated Version of your CV
So you did your research and you decide to apply for a certain position or positions, thinking that you match the role, that you can learn a lot of things, the environment and benefits would be great etc etc. You sent over a resume but then the recruiter or hiring Manager reads it.
He/she sees that you don't meet all the necessary requirements for example you have 2 years of experience for 4 years of experience job, or you don't know a certain language asked. Obviously, you lost the chance for an interview and for the job.
But you believed that you were the perfect match, why you did not receive any news?
One of the main reseason which trust me happens a lot is because you actually did not send over an updated CV. So you may actually have 4 years of experience or know the extra language due to studying it this year but the CV you sent may be from 2 years ago. Nobody will try to find out what's happening because we have to do it for everybody a literally there is no time.
Some recruiters including me, do a search as well on Linkedin to see if everything matches or if you forgot something but if there are tons of CVs or strict deadlines nobody will do that. Thus, always send an updated version of your CV
2. Send your Resume translated into the appropriate Language
Now let me explain this, it's quite easy to understand and there is no point losing a chance over this. So each job application that is created is in a certain language. There are 2 reasons behind this and the first one is to attract a broader or specific audience that knows this must-have/good-to-have language.
The other reason is that basically this language is used in work and for that specific position. For example, let's say a company in Greece has a Remote job position opportunity written in English. If you send your CV in Spanish, German, or Chinese you will be at the mercy of anyone who can understand this language otherwise if nobody knows that language you lost your chance. Even if you are fluent in English and your CV is in Chinese and nobody speaks or understands Chinese you lost an opportunity.
3 Beware of your CV's length
This is also self-explanatory but it will require some effort on your behalf. Recruiters like everyone else don't have 20-30 minutes to spend on a resume. I would suggest that depending on your experience your Resume should be a maximum of 3 pages long. There is no need for unnecessary info like the generic hobbies "read books, exercise, fitness, traveling".
Also, there is no need to write about seminars that you attended 10-20 years ago. That applies to your other job positions as well. If you have 5-20 years of experience or working in a certain field or fields there is no reason to write about your first job at a cafeteria. if you are searching for an entry-level position don't write each and every course you had during your Bachelor's or Master's. You can write 2-3 relevant to the position course at best.
I hoped i helped you out a bit in case you are actively searching for a job, know someone that does or you are thinking of finding something better in the future. I will make other relevant posts in the future but if you have something specific that always wanted to know, write it down in the comments and i will either reply directly or make a post about it!