- A Curriculum Vitae (CV) serves as your initial encounter with a potential employer, and you aim to create the strongest impact possible.
- A well-crafted resume effectively highlights your credentials while demonstrating your professionalism, communication abilities, and meticulousness.
- According to career counsellor Simon Ingari, several red flags can negatively impact a candidate's job prospects
The journalist Japhet Ruto from INSPIRATIONS DIGITAL.co.ke boasts more than eight years of expertise in covering finance, business, and technological news. He provides profound perspectives on both Kenya’s and international economic patterns.
A resume serves as a personal promotional instrument, highlighting your skills, experience, and accomplishments for potential hiring managers.
As this is often your initial encounter with a hiring manager, it's crucial to create the strongest impression possible.
A well-crafted resume highlights your credentials and professional image, along with your ability to communicate effectively and your meticulousness.
Conversely, a badly composed CV might suggest a deficiency in effort or skill, thereby greatly diminishing your odds of being invited for an interview.
Career counselor Simon Ingari points out that various warning signs can harm a candidate's chances of landing a job.
What signs should you watch for when reviewing a resume?
1. Information that is not pertinent or has become obsolete
Including unrelated job experiences could render your résumé overcrowded and distract from highlighting your key skills and credentials.
Ingari suggests that your CV should highlight the most pertinent experiences and skills, specifically customized for the job you're targeting.
Irrelevant information encompasses your primary and high school background should you have pursued higher education, along with your martial status, birthdate, religious affiliation, and identification number.
"For instance, when applying for a nutrition position, mentioning that you've worked as a sales executive at Nivea could be seen as irrelevant. Adding unnecessary information just to lengthen your resume often backfires," he elaborated.
2. Your hobbies
Ingari observed that no employer would include your CV among their selections since you enjoy traveling.
He mentioned, 'It could be a travel agent position,'.
3. Mistakes in spelling and grammar
grammatical mistakes and typographical errors are among the most noticeable red flags. These can create a negative impression and indicate a deficiency in meticulousness.
The National Library of Medicine states that misspellings on resumes can compromise your chances of getting an interview.
For example, despite having the necessary credentials, a candidate applying for an “accountant” role but misspelling it as “acountant” could likely be overlooked.
Utilize tools such as spell-check or ask someone else to review your CV to avoid errors.
4. Lack of keywords
As stated by BrighterMonday, a recruiting company, incorporating relevant job-related keywords can boost your likelihood of making the shortlist.
Technology has fundamentally transformed our lives. For instance, hiring managers utilize computer programs to sift through resumes and choose the most qualified applicants according to specific criteria.
"If your CV doesn’t include specifickeywords, the recruitingsoftwarewillautomaticallydiscarditfromthehiringprocess,evenifyouhavealltherequiredqualifications. ThismeansyourCVwon’teverberead,” itexplained.
5. Poor CV structure
An unstructured and confusing CV might deter hiring managers from considering your application.
## Key Points
- Utilize appropriate section titles.
- Employ bulleted lists for clarity and readability.
- Ensure an organized structure with uniform styling.
Make sure your CV presents ideas and information in a chronological order that aligns with what you've stated in your cover letter.
6. Excessive length
Make sure your résumé is concise and direct, preferably not exceeding two pages.
A long résumé may appear intimidating and is less likely to be read completely.
How can one create an effective resume?
The competition for employment is intensifying in an economy where millions of people remain without jobs.
Nicole Mballah, who works as a professional CV writer for BrighterMonday, advises individuals looking for employment to emphasize their strong points through their resumes in order to distinguish themselves from competing applicants.
"HR managers receive numerous résumés, and studies indicate they typically spend roughly seven seconds reviewing each one. Therefore, your CV must be appealing, concise, and meticulously composed to capture the interest of both applicant tracking systems and the hiring manager who will review it," Mballah explained to INSPIRATIONS DIGITAL.co.ke.
How to write a CV for an attachment application
In related news, INSPIRATIONS DIGITAL.co.ke covered advice for crafting a CV when applying for an internship with little to no work experience.
Provide information about your degree, related classes taken, academic honors received, and any significant projects or research that align with the position you’re applying for.
Despite lacking work experience, you probably possess skills that can be valuable in different situations. Highlight your soft skills such as communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and flexibility.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, a current affairs journalist and copy editor at INSPIRATIONS DIGITAL.co.ke.
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