Common Mistakes in CV / Resume

I have just received an email from one of my cousin asking for suggestions on his CV/ Resume  , He is fresh graduate with 1 year experience in the field. I must admit reviewing a CV/ Resume is very time consuming job and it depends upon your mood mainly.

I am not going to give you a long lecture how to write a CV or what to write and what not to write . This month I have seen more than 50 CVs across the globe including US and Europe and just 50 CVs don't make me an Expert but I strongly believe that I know a little bit how to polish your CV that stands out.

So here is my experience in the form of points.

1. Spelling and Grammatical errors  
2. I hate CV that is not properly aligned
3. If you like table please make sure you align them properly.
4. Try to use BOLD and ITALIC  in your CV to highlight your achievements.  Avoid using too much of bold and Italic.
5.  Good font is key point I like using Times New Roman with size 12 .
6. Stick to similar line spacing, 1.0 is best.
7. Punctuation mistakes are quiet common in the CV.
8. Unwanted capitalisation .
9. Too long CV , I don't have enough time to read it and I have 10 more to go (no more than 2 to 3 pages MAX;  2 are ideal )
10. Average time a hiring manager spend on your CV is no more than 30 seconds , If you catch him in 30 Seconds you got interview call . 
11.  Make sure your CV reflects career progression and meaningful contribution.
12. Don't tell what you might be able to do mention what you are good at , don't make false promises.(do not LIE)
13. If you cannot tell you cannot sell , use small sentences and bullet points. (Easy to understand sentences.)
14. Do not copy paste CV Templates, please never do this.
15. Please don't put photo on your CV if it is not asked . 
16. Avoid fancy fonts I am not interested in art works. 
17. Make decision on putting date of birth , I personally do not put my DOB. 
18. Objective statement should be detailed enough to give an idea of your job and career progression. 
19. Unprofessional email address tomboy@blabla.com 
20. If you put Facebook profile link make sure it is clean :) trust me recruiter will check it. 
21. Avoid using pronouns like I and try to use active verb. 
22. Avoid putting too personal information , I came across one CV in which system admin mentioned he left the job because he had an argument with CEO visiting nude websites. 
23. I don't understand why people mention their high school I did Metric from ABC school in year 1990 (why I need this information, unless Matriculation is the only qualification you have) 
24. Don't focus too much on your role that you did 10 years ago focus on your latest role , if you worked on COBOL I am not keen on this I need to know can you program in Java and what you have done in last couple of years. 
25. I do not recommend putting references on the  CV unless mentioned specifically. 
26. It is always good idea to have a cover letter.
27. It is always good idea to have 5 to 6 lines summary of your experience that is relevant to the job role you are applying for.Make sure you mentioned all the key words.
28. Good to mention some accomplishment statements that shows a reader what you are really capable of.      

That is all from my side and I hope this will get you to the interview room , All the best for job searching . Keep looking :) 

Regards 
Kashif