A single moment of carelessness when describing your professional qualities can ruin it all.
Male or female?
At least five out of 100 men in senior positions mark their gender as female when they upload their CVs. And this has nothing to do with their actual sex – on most platforms, “female” is the default gender and male candidates simply don’t pay attention. This is not a such a big deal but may lead your potential employer to believe you are careless.
Tip: Fill in your resume in the morning or on weekends. Don’t do it after work, when you are usually tired and can be prone to making stupid mistakes. Check all details carefully and go through them once again after you are done filling in all necessary information. Better yet, ask a friend or someone from your family to double-check.
Not sure where to start with writing your CV? Check out our blog post on “How to sell your skill in the “new normal’ reality”!
Who wrote this resume?
At least five out of 100 women in management positions don’t mention their family names in their CVs or simply use a fake one. They do this hoping that their fellow workers will not find out about their intentions to change their job. Men, who want to hide their plans to quit, usually hide the name of the company they work for. Such experiments are a bit ridiculous as your boss can certainly recognize you based on other elements in your resume.
Tip: Simply get your privacy setting right: “visible to all but company xx”, filling in the name of your current employer. Or “only visible through a link”. Or simply apply directly for any vacancies you are interested in.
Outdated photo
Did you know that nearly half of all job seekers, both male and female, use photos in their CVs that were made at least 10 years ago? This can be really embarrassing when you are invited to a live interview.
Tip: Get a new photo when you start looking for a new job. Wear smart casual outfit.
Awkward email address
This should be known to all but still – an email address such as hotgirl002@ or sexyguy007@ looks pretty awkward if you are applying for a senior position.
Tip: Create an email with your first and last name, for example: johnhopkins@ or maryjane@. This will look much more solid and serious. Don’t forget to fill in your first and last name in your email settings.
Adding links to inappropriate social media profiles
Addding a link to your LinkedIn profile is absolutely appropriate and useful. Recruiters and HR experts will gladly add you to their contact lists and, even if you don’t get hired right away, they may get in touch if any suitable vacancy comes up in the future. However, adding a link to your FB page full of memes or photos of half-naked girls is not the best idea.
Tip: Before you start looking for a job, carefully review your social network accounts. Many HR experts spend a long time investigating candidates before inviting them over for an interview.
Social media are a critical tool for modern job seekers and recruiters alike. Here is our list of tips for creating the best image in your online profiles!
Adding your resume on the same website more than once
Many job candidates publish three or four versions of their resume on the same website hoping this will improve their search results and ultimately, their chances of getting hired. However, this creates an impression that they don’t actually know what they are looking for.
Tip: Make only one of your resumes public (or two, if one of them is in another language). Access to the rest of your CVs should be restricted to selected employers only.
Avoiding these mistakes in uploading your CV on job platforms will help you on your way to your dream job! Take some time to double check all important elements of your resume – don’t be sloppy as this could make all the difference between a landslide success and a complete failure.
If you need help on your way to your next stellar job, feel free toget in touchwith one of our stellar HR wizards! Check out our list of job vacancieshere
