Your CV is an extension of you. It is where recruiters sieve out potential candidates from the 'No, thanks' pile. A well written CV will definitely put your foot through the interview door. Here, I'd like to share some of the most common boo-boo's that job applicants make in their CV.
1) Spelling & Language
The most common mis-typed word in CV's is 'manager'. Many people type it as 'manger' and MS Word
does not pick this up because 'manger' is also a real word.
Also check your apostrophe's and make sure they're in the right places. "It's" and "its" are often mixed up
with each other. For example:
"Responsible for managing department and it's operations"
2) Information Overload
The only personal information that you need to provide in your CV are:
- Name
- Address
- Email
- Contact Number
Job applicants tend to include their age, I/C number, height, weight, birthday, marital status, NS status,
and hobbies. Save My CV explains why these information aren't necessary.
- I/C number: This is actually a very private detail and only used when identifying yourself to lawful bodies.
Your CV may be read by a recruitment agent or a manager who's not in HR and you'd be subjecting
yourself to identity fraud if your CV is picked up by anyone within the office.
- height & weight: It's discriminatory for employers/recruiters to reject an application based on physical
statistics, unless the job ad states so (e.g. air stewardesses have to be of a certain height)
- birthday: There isn't any need for the recruiter to know this. Dates of our births have absolutely no
bearing on our ability to perform!
- NS status: Recruiters do not require this information when shortlisting you. And when you are finally hired
and fill up the company's internal employee details form, there'll be a section for this.
- Hobbies: Again, hobbies have no bearing on your work competencies. Taking this bit of information out
will help you save more space in your CV.
3) Personalised Email Addresses
Trust me, recruiters can be sensitive towards email addresses. Anything that does not sound professional
implies maturity, like [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected]
A proper email address that should be used for CV's should include your name and/or up to 4 numbers.
Anything above 4 numbers and recruiters find it a chore to type them out and make sure they're correct.
Email addresses should look like [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected]
So, if you don't have a professional sounding email address, start looking at getting one soon.
1) Spelling & Language
The most common mis-typed word in CV's is 'manager'. Many people type it as 'manger' and MS Word
does not pick this up because 'manger' is also a real word.
Also check your apostrophe's and make sure they're in the right places. "It's" and "its" are often mixed up
with each other. For example:
"Responsible for managing department and it's operations"
2) Information Overload
The only personal information that you need to provide in your CV are:
- Name
- Address
- Contact Number
Job applicants tend to include their age, I/C number, height, weight, birthday, marital status, NS status,
and hobbies. Save My CV explains why these information aren't necessary.
- I/C number: This is actually a very private detail and only used when identifying yourself to lawful bodies.
Your CV may be read by a recruitment agent or a manager who's not in HR and you'd be subjecting
yourself to identity fraud if your CV is picked up by anyone within the office.
- height & weight: It's discriminatory for employers/recruiters to reject an application based on physical
statistics, unless the job ad states so (e.g. air stewardesses have to be of a certain height)
- birthday: There isn't any need for the recruiter to know this. Dates of our births have absolutely no
bearing on our ability to perform!
- NS status: Recruiters do not require this information when shortlisting you. And when you are finally hired
and fill up the company's internal employee details form, there'll be a section for this.
- Hobbies: Again, hobbies have no bearing on your work competencies. Taking this bit of information out
will help you save more space in your CV.
3) Personalised Email Addresses
Trust me, recruiters can be sensitive towards email addresses. Anything that does not sound professional
implies maturity, like [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected]
A proper email address that should be used for CV's should include your name and/or up to 4 numbers.
Anything above 4 numbers and recruiters find it a chore to type them out and make sure they're correct.
Email addresses should look like [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected]
So, if you don't have a professional sounding email address, start looking at getting one soon.
