While it's possible to have the right qualifications, experience, and a polished CV in hand, a couple of common errors can make it appear you don't pay attention to the details. Fortunately, many of these errors are easily identified. All you have to do is give it a quick look over before you click the ‘Submit' button.
Here Are 7 Things You Should Always Check
1. Spelling Mistakes
One simple error could impact the impression you make on a recruiter's attention to detail assessment. Typing the wrong word, such as "managment" instead of "management", "recieve" instead of "receive", or missing a letter in a word is a common error.
Do not use the spell check on your phone or computer as your sole means of spell checking words. It may not identify all errors, particularly if you use a correctly-spelled word in the wrong context.
Read your CV thoroughly after you have written it. It's possible to read it aloud, too. This will allow you to see words that you did not read or sentences that do not make sense.
2. Grammar Errors
There is no need to use a lot of jargon on your CV to make it seem professional. It just has to be grammatically correct and clear.
For example:
"Responsible to lead staffs and prepare reports."
The "S" in staff in this context makes it a grammatical error.
Watch out for incomplete sentences, incorrect verb tenses and subject-verb agreement.
Review all sections, such as your professional summary, work experience and skills. Remember that grammar is important even if your CV is short.
3. Incorrect Dates
The dates of your employment and education should be correct and uniform.
Even if you were employed with Company A between January 2022 and June 2024, be sure to reference that same period of time throughout the document.
The wrong dates can also cause unexplainable lapses, make things look longer or shorter than they really are. Pay particular attention when you're updating an old CV. You might have edited one date but not another part.
Compare your CV dates with your certificates, past versions of your CV, LinkedIn profile, as appropriate.
4. Inconsistent Formatting
A CV should be one document, not a collection of documents. For instance, you may want to have a bold job title and a regular one. Some sections may be written in a bullet point format and others in a paragraph format. The fonts can be different sizes or there can be varying paragraph spacing between sections.
These variations may be minor but they can make the CV more difficult to read.
Check your font, font sizes, headings, spacing, bullet points, margins and alignment. Ensure consistency throughout the CV. Siimilar information should be presented in the same format.
5. Wrong Company Names
This is a big one you don't want to make, particularly when it comes to multiple applications. Assume you're applying to Company B but your cover letter or CV still includes the name of Company A on it, as you copied an old application. This will make the recruiter immediately realize that you didn't read through your application.
When preparing to submit, look for the company name in your document. If you’ve written a CV specific to a specific employer, you need to ensure that all the information about the company is accurate.
This is particularly true if you are using an old CV as a template.
6. Incorrect Job Titles
Your job titles should accurately represent your experience.
Don't get it wrong: don't write in a section "Marketing Assistant" and "Marketing Executive" somewhere else.
This can result in confusion, and possibly raise questions in an interview or background check.
Additionally, don't alter your previous jobs' names in your CV just to match the name of the job you're applying for.
Rather, focus on the skills and responsibilities you acquired from the position in your professional summary and bullet points.
Review all job titles with employment records and ensure consistency of job title in your job application.
7. Inconsistent Punctuation
A CV may look incomplete if it has minor differences in punctuation. For instance, you can terminate some bullets with periods, and not others. There's no right or wrong with either style. The issue is inconsistencies. It is the same for commas, capitalisation and other punctuation.
For example:
- Managed social media accounts
- Developed short-term plans and schedules for content strategy and delivery
- Analysed campaign performance, etc.
Pay attention and notice the punctuation (specifically the full stop). It would be better to stick to one style of punctuation.
You either add full stop to all bullet lists or take the full stops off all three. Decide on one style and use it throughout your CV.
Before you submit, take 5 minutes to reflect on the following questions:
Don't simply look at whether you've listed everything you are qualified to do and any work experience you have, when you are submitting your next CV.
Pay attention to the little things as well.
Ask yourself:
- Have I checked for spelling mistakes?
- Do you think my grammar is correct?
- Do I have the correct dates?
- Does my formatting match the rest of the document?
- Did I mention the right company name?
- Does my job titles match with the content of my work?
- Am I using the same style of punctuation throughout?
These checks are not time consuming but can certainly make your CV look more well put together and professional.
Give your CV one last look before you click "Submit.” It could be a five-minute check that you would otherwise not have noticed and could cause a mistake.
