CV TIPS - CV Red Flags: 5 Warning Signs Employers Look For
Posted 23rd November 2023 • Written by Andrew Fennell on forbes.com • • • • • •
Here’s how to tackle these red flags head-on to improve your chances of landing an interview.
An unprofessional email address
Be sure to avoid silly, rude or confusing email addresses that you've had since you set up MSN back in the noughties. These look unprofessional, especially if you’ve been in the industry for years now and have ample opportunity to set up a new account.
A generic application
From the moment the recruiter scans over your personal profile and core skills section, they’ll be able to tell whether you've taken the time to tailor your application or not.
So you should never just fire off the same application to multiple roles as this looks lazy and disinterested, and let’s face it, you’ll drastically reduce your chances of securing an interview.
Instead, you need to prove to the recruiter that you’re genuinely interested in the role and company. This also gives you the opportunity to match your experience with the key requirements that have been outlined in the job description.
You can also mirror the keywords, skills and language the employer has used. This makes it much easier for the recruiter to skim through and identify whether or not you’re a good fit for the role.
Unexplained employment gaps
Whatever your reason, it’s best not to ignore visible gaps as this looks more suspicious. Instead, it’s best to be as honest as possible about where you were and what you were doing.
You should provide a clear and concise explanation either in your employment history or your personal profile explaining the gap.
If you feel like you learned some important new skills or had relevant experiences during your time off, you could even go into more detail about what this experience taught you and how this has made you better at your job.
Not showcasing your achievements
You can include a personal profile, key skills section, employment history and your most relevant qualifications, but this is unlikely to impress if you don’t include any of your achievements.
Unfortunately, this is a mistake professionals make far too often. Writing out a list of responsibilities is not enough. You need to make sure you also include examples of your key achievements from your time in the role.
Better still, if you can tailor your achievements to reflect the skills outlined in the job description.
Spelling mistakes
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