Common CV Mistakes

Spelling, grammar and date errors

Small errors are easy to miss because you have read your own CV many times. Inconsistent or incorrect dates, misspelled employer names, and typos are common and easy to fix with a careful final read, ideally by someone else as well.

A simple way to catch these is to read the CV backwards, section by section, which forces you to look at each line individually rather than reading through it on autopilot.

Spell-checking tools catch some errors but not all of them, particularly correctly spelled words used in the wrong place, so a manual read-through is still worthwhile even after running a spell check.

Vague statements with no evidence

Phrases like 'hard-working team player' or 'excellent communicator' mean little without an example behind them. Replace general claims with a specific bullet point that shows the skill in action.

A useful test is to ask, for every sentence, whether it would still make sense with someone else's name at the top. If the answer is yes, the sentence is probably too generic and worth making more specific.

Specific detail also makes a CV more memorable to a reader who may be comparing many similar applications, since a concrete example stands out far more than a generic claim.

Cluttered or inconsistent formatting

Mixed fonts, inconsistent bullet styles, or a page crammed with text make a CV harder to read at a glance. Stick to one layout style throughout and leave enough white space for the page to breathe.

It is easy to lose track of formatting consistency when a CV has been edited many times over months or years. A dedicated final pass, checking only formatting rather than content, helps catch this.

Copying and pasting content between different CV versions is a common way inconsistent formatting creeps in, so it is worth checking font, size and spacing carefully after any large edit.

One CV for every application

Sending the exact same CV to every employer, with no adjustment to the personal statement or skills, misses an easy opportunity to look more relevant to each specific role.

This does not mean rewriting the whole document each time; even small, targeted changes to the top of the CV can make a noticeable difference to how relevant it looks to a specific reader.

Keeping a master CV to work from, as described in the guide to tailoring a CV, makes this quick to do without adding much extra time to each application, so there is little excuse for sending an entirely generic version.

Missing or unclear contact details

An out-of-date phone number, a missing email, or an unprofessional email address can quietly cost you an interview. Double-check that your contact details are current and appropriate, and make sure they are easy to find at the top of the page.

It is also worth checking that any contact details are correctly spelled and formatted, since a single mistyped digit in a phone number can mean a missed call that never gets explained.

A quick way to check is to have someone else call or email the details listed on your CV, confirming both work correctly before you start sending applications.

Overstating or exaggerating experience

It can be tempting to round up a level of responsibility or stretch a job title, but this tends to create problems at interview, when you are asked to go into more detail than the CV can support. Describe your real experience accurately and let strong, specific examples do the persuading instead.

An accurate CV also protects you later on, since some employers carry out reference or background checks, and any mismatch between your CV and what a previous employer confirms can cause real problems.

A genuinely accurate CV is also simply easier to talk about confidently at interview, since you are describing real experience rather than trying to remember an exaggerated version of events, which can be surprisingly hard to keep consistent.

Including things that should be left out

A photo, date of birth, marital status, or an overly long list of every task from every job are all better left off a UK CV, in favour of relevant, well-chosen detail.

• Photo, date of birth or marital status
• An objective statement that is really about what you want rather than what you offer
• Every single task from every job, rather than the most relevant ones
• Unexplained large gaps in the timeline