9 Reasons Your CVs Couldn't Fetch You A Job In 2014

You tried your best to get a job in 2014 and all your effort haven't brought you any tangible job. Up till now, you haven’t got that your dream job and the year is wrapping up. You probably thought you have a bad luck or employers don’t just like your name. The thing is; getting a job isn’t primarily about luck or personal interest; it’s just that you may still have not gotten some things right with your CV. Here are nine things that went wrong with the CV(s) you used for your job hunt in 2014 and why you shouldn't repeat the same in 2015.

Your CV was not tailor-made

Employers differ, job specifications differ, and therefore every CV you write should also differ and be tailor-made to the specifications of the job you’re hunting for. When a CV doesn’t match the specification of the job, employers just throw it in the bin. See, there are many CVs lining up for the HR department to go through and what they will be looking for are the keywords that are in line with the job specifications.

This is also an IT era, a number of companies use software that reads CV and once they can’t spot the keywords; your CV will just be thrown aside. Therefore, a one-size-fits-all CV won’t get you a job easily. You must edit every CV you’re sending to an employer and make sure it captures skills and qualifications relevant to the job specifications.

You Are Still Writing Career Objective

Writing career objective in a CV may be fashionable some years back but that has become obsolete now. Nobody really cares what your career objective is. Your employer has got a need for someone who could provide a service or solve a problem.

What you have to present straight up are your qualifications that match up with the job specification. What do you possess that can provide the service or solve the problem? Is it an education, a skill or an experience? Those are the things that are needed. Keep your objectives to yourself.

You Focused More On Experience Instead Of Achievement

Most people like to write about where they have worked but little about what they achieved. Write your experience and corresponding achievements. It is better not to include an experience where you didn't achieve anything at all. Highlight your experience and achievements in bullet point. For example if you have worked in a bank as a marketer, you can include the targets you were able to meet and how many new customers you brought to the bank.

You've Not Been Specific

Don’t be vague when mentioning your achievements. Hit the nail on the head. It’s better to say, “I raised 254 million naira for the bank I worked for” than to say, “I raised a huge sum of money for the bank I worked for”. Be specific, not so many words are important but few direct words. Talk in terms of figures, values and quantities.

You Still Make Typo Errors On Your CV

Nothing can be more disgusting to a potential employer as a CV with typos. It shows you really don’t pay attention to details and that’s a minus for your chance of getting called for interview. The truth is, this may not have to do with your proficiency in English. In fact, that can cause more problem because you tend to be overconfident and overlook certain things. The solution is to read your CV over and over again. You can also leave a break and go do some other things before you come back to do the final editing. Then just before you send your CV, give it to a trusted friend or someone who knows better to help you vet and edit it.

Your CV Is Always Poorly Formatted

Formatting your CV will go a long way to increase your chances of being invited for interview and a poorly formatted one will do just the exact opposite. The use of spacing, bullets, bold and italics where necessary is very important in making your CV admirable and readable. You must be careful anyway not to overdo things here too. You can obtain different CV formats online or give it to someone who knows better about CV formatting. The goal of every potential employer is to be able to read as many CVs as easily as possible and within the shortest time frame

Your CV Is Too Long

You can give details on your LinkedIn profile or when you’re invited for interview but when it comes to CV, it has to be brief. It shouldn’t be more than two pages. As much as possible, your CV has to be concise and precise. Lengthy CVs are boring and takes much time to read, employers don’t have that luxury of time.

You Lied On Your CV

Lying doesn’t have to be blatant; it’s starts when there is a deviation from reality. Many people lie unconsciously by exaggerating because they want to impress employers. HR people know how to detect such lies and exaggerations. They’ve been in this business for quite some time and they know how to separate the cats from the dogs. You don’t need to tell a lie or exaggerate, just say things as they are.

You Still Include Referees On Your CV

As long as you’re not applying for a job in Nigeria federal or state parastatals where things may still be crude, employers don’t really care about the referees on your CV. If they need it, they will request for it on the process of your employment. You don’t even need to put, “Referees available on request”. You can save the space and use it to write more about your qualifications and achievements.

Getting these things right can get you a job as quickly as possible and if carefully done, you can be gainfully employed within the first quarter of 2015. Wishing you the very best in your job hunt.