How does your CV fare in relation to the “perfect” CV

Job search engine Adzuna ran more the 100,000 CVs through their software – what did they find? That only 1, yes, one, achieved a perfect score of 100%. To achieve this feat, the CV was awarded the highest possible scores for 8 key criteria.

Here are the eight reasons this isn’t just an excellent resume, it’s a perfect resume, according to Adzuna.

Filename

The filename of this CV is “John-Snow-CV”. It contains the name of the job seeker as well as the acronym of CV.

Quite simply, your CV filename should tell people what it is and who you are. This seemingly minor detail is significant because many hiring managers, especially those at large corporates and recruiters, receive countless job applications every day. If they cannot retrieve your CV by running a search of your full name as well as the words CV or resume’, there is every chance you will miss out on the job.

Do not send in a job application with a filename such as file5424142. This doesn’t mean anything to anyone.

Contact details

We suggest including your mobile phone number, email address, and home address at the very beginning of your CV, even before the executive summary. If you only supply your email address as a point of contact, the hiring manager might get annoyed when they can’t reach you immediately. If you’re serious about the job you have applied for, it is prudent to include as many points of contact as possible.

Use of the word CV

Anyone reading your CV will already know what it is so there’s no need to include the words “Curriculum Vitae”, “CV”, or resume’ (except in the filename.)

CV length

Your CV is a foot in the door of your new job. It needs to give enough information to give a complete picture of your work history, but it should also be clear and concise.

CV length is a problem for 33% of Australians.

The optimal length of a CV is two pages. This is ample space to include relevant work history, contact details, and an executive summary.

Spelling mistakes

This CV does not have a single spelling mistake.

Adzuna CEO Raife Watson says, “Spelling mistakes in a C.V give the first impression that you are careless and do not have pride in your work. Tools such as Grammarly or a simple spell check in Microsoft word can help you get this right.”

In order, the top five words most often misspelled are:

Curriculum

Address

Prioritise

Liaise

Business

Around 70% of Aussies have spelling mistakes in their CVs. Jobseekers in Western Australia are the worst culprits, whereas, the A.C.T boasts the best spellers.

ValueMyCV scans your entire CV and identifies spelling mistakes. It’s better we find the mistakes before the hiring manager does.

Summary

A strong summary section adds real value to a CV. The summary of this CV reads:

I have 25 years’ experience in the refrigeration, air conditioning, electrical and construction industries. In this time, I also owned a business, Cooler Than You Refrigeration, which I solely operated for 10 years. During my career, I have obtained a builder’s licence and I have extensive A class electrical knowledge.

This summary provides a concise snapshot of work history and what the applicant can bring to the role. Do not include an objective in your CV, as it takes up valuable space without adding much value.

Use of capitals

Capital letters can be used to draw attention to specific parts of your CV, however, they can look untidy and we recommend using them sparingly.

Capital letters can also be used for acronyms. We suggest typing out the entire skill instead of using abbreviations. Applicant tracking systems, which are programs used by large corporates and recruiters to sort through resumes, scan your application for keywords. If you use too many abbreviations, your top skills might not get picked up by the applicant tracking system.

Complete Enrolment History

This CV has zero gaps in the employment history. Every single year is accounted for.

Unexplained periods of unemployment can be a red flag for an employer. In Australia, 32% of users of ValueMyCV have an unexplained gap in their work history. The biggest offenders are Queenslanders, where 35% of users have a gap in their work history. If you’re from NSW you fare slightly better at 32%.

You can read the original article on the Adzuna website by clicking here.