Building your resume is not as simple as it seems. Today it is no longer enough to write just a simple page, compile it and cross your fingers hoping that everything will be fine. We have already talked about how to build a CV that works with fashion companies, and today I want to share with you what are the most common resume mistakes so you can avoid them and get the job of your dreams.
1.ONLY PDF!
No Word or Photoshop. After you have created your CV using Word, you must save it as a PDF before sending it to the company. It is probably the n°1 common mistake and also one of those that the recruiter cannot bear. Save the file as a PDF by naming it with your first and last name: name_surname_CV.pdf
2. A single CV does not fit all
You can’t send the same CV to all companies. I know it can be boring and stressful to edit the CV every time for every company, but if you are applying for a merchandising role, you want your CV to be just the one the company is waiting for, so highlight your experiences related to that job. Add a couple of points that describe the main activities of the previous experiences related to the job for which you are applying. This is how you can tweak your CV every time you apply for a different job.
3. One page
The CV must be just ONE page. There is nothing worse than opening a CV that is 3 pages long. It needs to be clear with just the necessary information. So don’t add lond descriptions to all your previous experience. Make sure you highlight with the description 4-5 activities you did that are relevant and in common to the job you’re applying for. If you worked as a waitress and you’re applying for a job in fashion then it is not necessary to add it to your CV, in this way you can save up space and use it for the experiences and skills that matter for the position. Use different font sizes to separate the text: a bigger font for “Education” and “Work Experience” a smaller one for the job title or the course name and even smaller for the description. It helps also to play with the design like using 2 columns to make sure everything fit one page. We have designed the best CV templates that you can download and use easily with Microsoft Word. Recruiters love CVs that are original but professional at the same time, and we have created super-effective templates. Our templates are not only approved by fashion companies but using our templates saves you a lot of time, so you don’t have to think about the design to make everything stand in one page and be sure your information is all clear and goes to the point. Download your favorite one and build a great CV in 15 minutes.
4. NO to generic skills
Instead of adding generic skills like great at working in a team or others you copy and paste from the internet, add only the technical skills and those required in the job offer. If you’re applying for a job in PR and in the requirements of the job you read “excellent communication skills” and “excellent Microsoft Excel”, make sure to report these skills exactly with these words to your CV. Don’t forget of course skills such as Microsoft Office (especially PowerPoint and Excel) Adobe Photoshop, WordPress, Google Analytics or any other program that you have learned and that can be useful for the job you’re applying for.
5. Grammar or typos
There is nothing worse than finding grammatical or typing errors on the CV. Be sure to double-check everything 3 times before sending it and if you can, ask your mother, your sister or a friend to check it out. It is challenging to find typos or grammatical errors of a text that we wrote ourselves, because we tend to scan it quickly as we already know the content, so if you do not have anyone to read it, wait a couple of hours or better yet the next day to read it again with a fresh mind you’ll be able to spot all the mistakes.
Here are our templates to create your best CV ever. Whether you need to write your first resume or update the one you have, these templates are perfect, professional, creative and super easy to use ONLY with Microsoft Word on both Mac and Windows.
