When it comes to getting your dream job, whilst an incredibly good bespoke banking and financial services recruiter (like ours) can help you land the interview, having a stand out CV is crucial, so you’ll want avoid any CV mistakes.
Crafting the perfect CV takes time and dedication.
It’s horrible to think about how it could be rejected at the first hurdle if there is anything like a simple, but easily avoided error.
With an average of 250 CVs for every vacancy, you’ll want to avoid these 6 major CV mistakes:

1. Including an unprofessional email address


Your CV is a professional document, which is why you won’t want to include an email address that’s as outdated as it is unprofessional.
Which is why it’s a terrible decision to have it at the very top of your CV, let alone include it in your CV.
It will make recruiters judge you from the second they open and read it.
Consider making an email address with your name and birthdate, or even from a domain much like all of our teams email addresses who have their first name and are followed by @cfrecruitment.co.uk
Picture it this way:
You’re in the hirers shoes, and someone hands you this fantastic CV…except their email is badgyal27@yahoo.com
Do you still want to hire them?

2. Having too many pages

One page? Fantastic.
Two pages? Ideal.
Three pages or more? We might need to rework your CV.
With the average boss taking just three minutes to review a CV, while one in five making a decision after reviewing it in under a minute, we can assure you that no one wants to read a five page CV.
Your CV is not supposed to be a novel, try to keep it to one or two pages if you can, because if they’re not convinced after one or two pages, we doubt they’ll make it to three and four.
There are multiple ways to do this, but our best tip is to shorten old or irrelevant roles, that way you don’t lose any of the valuable parts.

3. Poor formatting and design


If you want your CV to get noticed above the rest, you’ll need consider the design and formatting.
Try to use a reasonable sized font, and ensure that you’re using a good amount of white space.
Instead of using full sentences, try and use bullet points to break it down more.
When exporting your document aim for a PDF, and before printing or submitting your CV, save it and spend some time away from it.
That way you can go back through it and check it over before you send it off.
Aim to keep you CV concise so that it can be absorbed quickly, and avoid confusing layouts, and beware of using different fonts and sizes.

4. Not tailoring your CV

You should factor in each company you apply for and their specific roles.
When reading the job description for any role, really think about what the words mean, and how you can show off experience that is related to that particular position.
Make sure you fully understand what’s needed of you for the role, and if the opportunity presents itself, maybe include some technical terminology.
Tailor your CV for each role, and company, even taking time to reiterate some of the wording of the job description.

5. Forgetting to spell check


You submit your CV, and the bliss is short lived when you realise there is a glaring mistake right in that first section.
It’s shocking how many times we hear recruiters complain about spelling mistakes and typos, and this also extends to using capital letters appropriately.
They can sometimes signify a lack of attention to detail, and can even make your application appear unprofessional.
Before submitting your CV, make sure to double check spellings and grammar.

6. Lying

Many people feel the need to exaggerate their education, job titles, and dates of employment.
However, this does not make you exempt from background checks, and from your new potential employer calling your references.
When it comes to employment dates, it’s very easy to feel like you have to cover up a time gap.
But, all it takes is to be honest about what you were doing during that employment gap.
Whether you took the time off to look after family, or your own health and wellbeing, you can discuss how to talk about any employment gaps with your recruiter.
There’s no shame in informing employers of a period spent away from work due to an illness, medical condition or redundancy.
Another reason it’s not worth lying on your CV is that it’s actually fraud.
Apparently 324 people were prosecuted for lies on their CV in 2013, up from 205 in 2012.
Don’t ruin your chances of getting your dream job by turning a 2:2 into a 2:1, or by lying about any experiences you have had.

Our final notes?

If you keep these tips in mind when preparing for your next role, we have no doubts you’ll smash it on the CV front.
If you’re still looking for a role, remember you can speak to our finance and banking recruitment team about what role you may be best suited to.