We often talk about the additions to your CV that would look better. But have you ever heard about the CV advice that would make your CV worse? Today we present you 5 bad pieces of advice that you shouldn’t follow.
Hide career gaps in your resume. This might be one of the worst pieces of advice people can give. There is no need to cover up the employment gaps on your resume; if you do, you will most likely highlight the non-progressive aspects of your career. Of course, filling in the gaps and explaining them can be difficult, but try your best to keep things honest and positive – these are two major qualities of the candidate that recruitment specialists value the most.
Use spectacular design to be more exclusive. Even though having a more colorful or eye-pleasing CV might be good, you don’t have to try too hard to impress the recruitment specialist. You’re more likely to do the opposite: unusual fonts and designs will only make your resume more difficult to read and recruitment specialists might not even contact you. Keep it simple — your skills and experience are what matter the most.
Make your CV only one page long. The "one-page" CV guideline is a false narrative, not a necessity. So, how much space should your resume have? It varies according to a few factors. You don't have to worry about a recruiter passing over your resume because you have a lot of experience. If you’re a specialist with 20+ years of experience, don’t try to fit your experience on one page, use as many as pages you need. If you just begin your career, one page CV is expected from you.
Prepare only one CV to send to every company. Imagine trying to flip the pancake in your pan with a spoon – it might sometimes work, but not always. Create multiple CVs for different companies and include short cover letters about why you have the desire to join a specific company. This will create an impression about you that you’re not only interested in the position or salary but in the company itself and could be a perfect addition to the team to grow together.
Summarize your whole experience into a few sentences. It’s one of those things that recruiters hate to see since they don’t provide any details and it might seem that you’re trying to cover something up. If a traditional reverse-chronological resume format isn't for you, try a hybrid resume format instead – you can include a few key skills and accomplishments at the top of your resume while still leaving room for detailed work experience.
