Lines of duty - how to “definately” guarantee your CV will fail
It may not just be “bent coppers” who fall foul of dodgy spelling, as a new survey into what makes a CV fall at the first hurdle has revealed that this is the biggest turn off for recruiters.
The research was compiled by the expert team at Professional CV Writing, who earlier this year launched a free CV Review service to help kickstart the economy.
The company works with job seekers who are seeking guidance on their career, their next move, salary negotiations and many other supporting services.
Now, with many thousands of CVs written for their global client base, they have revealed the three big turn offs for recruiters and employers that lurk within the standard CV:
Spelling and Grammar.
“Apart from showing a lack of attention, they can be the main cause of a failed ATS* score as the system is looking for specific words and won’t necessarily recognise spelling variations, and to recruiters it is just sloppy,” explains founder Claire Lyon.
Presentation.
“Unbalanced spacing, different fonts and sizes mid-content all go hand in hand to represent a sloppy approach,” continues Claire. “This is all about the perception of an application and simply lack of attention to detail, it suggests a lack of care. Sadly, it is pretty much confirmed that it will be a failed application from here.
Passive content.
“This is trickier,” says Claire. “It won’t necessarily fail an ATS scan, although some do look for an element of achievement based content, but when it comes to the recruiter making that shortlist, if you have shown your value with quantifiable, or strong accomplishments, the CV is more likely to be selected than one that doesn’t.
*ATS is a robot that sifts through CVs looking for a match with vacancy requirements, it is used by job boards and most recruiters to initially shortlist candidates to the next stage in the process.
With many thousands of CVs written for their global client base, Professional CV Writing wants to help the UK’s workers find a promotion, change of direction or a new role, as the economy begins to recover from the pandemic.
Their free CV Review service covers 8 key areas that generally pass or fail an application. These results are based on both ATS (applicant tracking software) and recruiter expectations:
· Presentation and Layout
· Profile Strength
· Key Words/Skills
· CV Language
· Accomplishments
· Descriptive or Achievement Led
· Defined or overly bullet-pointed
The review then summarises with the key 8th driver, a look at the predicted ATS score.
Claire concludes;
‘We are based here in the UK across four offices (Norfolk, London, Bristol and Manchester) and our team work with us directly, which not only means continuity of service for our clients but also a very firm grasp on the challenges that many candidates are facing right now.
‘Hopefully our professional eye and combined years of experience will make the crucial difference for someone out there who needs a fresh pair of eyes to help give them a fresh start.’
Ends