Ten Reasons Your Cv Is Not Getting You Interviews

By Angela Wahome,

If you’re sending out lots of CVs without getting many calls for interviews, it’s time to conclude that your CV isn’t doing its job. These are some of things about you CV that may be causing this.

1. It’s Generic.

If your CV reads just like dozens of other candidates’, no employer is going to call you. Your CV needs to convey that you’re a good candidate, not just an average one.

2. It does not describe the tasks that you performed.

In a job market that’s flooded with candidates, a CV that reads like a series of job descriptions won’t get the attention of the hiring manager. Try to explain what you have done.

3. It’s full of dense paragraphs.

Employers will only skim your CV initially, not read it word-for-word and large blocks of text are hard to skim. Write short lines not long sentences.

4. The contacts details and information of referees.

Your contact information of inaccurate. Double check the information you put for your contacts to make sure the hiring manager can reach you. Your referees are not aware you are going to use them, or you do not update their contact information or you put someone name without considering what they will say about you. Take time to contact these people and make sure they will be able to give a good review of you.

5. Having a messy or disorganized CV.

A CV with different font sizes, margins, spelling mistakes may show that you do not pay attention to detail. Other things that you should consider when submitting a CV via email are, do not do a colour CV, do not use text boxes or fancy formatting of CVs as it may not appear the same way on the hiring managers’ computer as they may not have the same software.  Instead write your CV in MS Word using plain text.

6. It wastes space on things that are irrelevant, like descriptions of your employer’s business.

Some candidates devote two to three lines per job to describing the employer itself—its size and the nature of its business. Hiring managers might want that information when you move to the interview stage, but your CV isn’t the place for it. Your CV should focus on you and you alone.

7. It’s not specific.

Employers want concrete specifics. What exactly did you do and what did it result in?

8. You apply for the position long after you see the job advert.

Have a CV ready to send for a position as soon as you become aware of a position.

9. It includes irrelevant details.

Yes, people really do this. This information is not really necessary. Things like the number of children you have, the languages you speak English and Kiswahili or your Nationality. We are going to assume that you can speak English and Kiswahili. Including these details may come across as naive.

10. You apply for jobs without the right qualifications.

Please ensure that you have the skills required for the position that you are applying to.

You CV is your advert and you need to make sure that you have a good CV. If you are not sure about your CV or would like a professional review to see if we may help you write a CV Please contact us.

Angela is a Recruitment Officer. Corporate Staffing Services.

Email: angela@corporatestaffing.co.ke.

Web address. www.corporatestaffing.co.ke