Offering people a job they applied for is one of my great joys. I get to fulfil a hope and put someone in a position where he or she can thrive and make a difference. A large part of what brings me into contact with the people I will eventually appoint, is the document they submit to showcase themselves. I have worked through so many curricula vitae in my career. In most cases I make notes of why I dismiss a CV, so that I can give feedback if anyone ever asks. But so few people do…

These are my top-five reasons for dismissing a CV off-hand:

1.     There is a spelling or typing error. I guess if you’re a gardener, spelling is less important. But I have thrown out countless CVs for roles like communication specialist, social media content creator, copywriter and even personal assistant because there was an error in the CV. If you are not going to take the time to check your CV, I’m guessing you’re going to skimp on quality when it comes to the content you create for the brand or the work you do to support the team. I’m not taking that risk.

2.     Your CV is generic. This wouldn’t be a problem if you are only applying for a particular position and your CV speaks to that position. But I remember the day I received a CV in the form of a Facebook page. This person wanted to work in social media, and proved that she was capable. A generic CV plants a slight fear in my mind that you might just copy-and-paste someone else’s content onto the business Facebook page without a single citation.

3.     It’s in MS Word. Word is where you create the document. PDF is how you distribute it. At the very least.

4.     There’s no colour or too much colour. Given that most of the roles I appointed were creative in nature, this point speaks to a design-mind. I twice helped a school to appoint handymen for the maintenance team. I did not apply this principle to those CVs. But it’s time for us to use the CV on more of a ‘show me about you’ and less of a ‘tell me about you’ basis. Stand out. For the right reasons.

5.     It tells me nothing about you. If I get 150 CVs for one position – something that happens often – your CV should make me want to meet you. I usually create a shortlist of ten, but only invite my top three favourites for the interview. You need to have content that makes me want to meet you over the 149 other applicants.

I really want to see your life in the document you submit. Showcase yourself. Stand out. Be proud.