Lots of people make similar mistakes when making their CV. Look through your CV and see if you’ve done any of the things listed below.

Saying what you did and not what impact it had

Compare the following pairs of statements on a CV. In each pair, the first just describes what was done, and doesn’t say why it was useful. The second shows value and is much more compelling.

1. “Rewrote core logic in TypeScript”
2. “Rewrote core logic in TypeScript, reducing bugs shipped to production by 30%”

1. “Automated manual tasks”
2. “Automated manual tasks, saving 3 hours of paperwork per week”

1. “Built feature to better target potential customers”
2. “Built features to better target potential customers, increasing sales by 10%”

1. “Mentored an intern”
2. “Mentored an intern, helping them successfully deliver their project on time, leading to a job offer at the end of their internship”

Columns

CVs should be a single column. Two-column layouts often waste space, are hard to read, and can get messed up by Application Tracking Systems.

Complicated designs

It’s ok to make your CV stand out - it can be beautiful and interesting. But never at the expensive of ease of reading and understanding. Make sure someone can quickly read your CV and understand everything in it.

Previous careers

Often career-changers will skip previous jobs/careers from their CV. Other times, people will fill their CV with irrelevant experience. Both are mistakes.

If you have an older unrelated career, focus on the transferrable skills from it. But think carefully about what these may be! If you were a journalist, you may have used skills in storytelling, explaining things, attention to detail, or focusing on the user. If you worked in a shop, perhaps you have great experience working in a team and supporting colleagues. Most jobs have transferrable skills - think about them and include them - but focus on what’s relevant.