These CV Mistakes Keep Coming Up.
These 10 mistakes come up again and again, and each one is easy to fix once you spot it.
1. Generic Professional Summary
"Hardworking team player seeking a challenging role" could be written by literally anyone. Your summary needs to be specific to you and the role you're targeting.
Fix: Include your years of experience, key achievement, and target role. Make it impossible to copy-paste onto someone else's CV. Our personal statement examples show how.
2. Listing Duties Instead of Achievements
"Responsible for managing the team" tells a recruiter what your job description said — not what you actually accomplished. Every bullet point should answer: "So what?"
Fix: Use the formula: Action verb + what you did + quantified impact. "Managed team of 12, reducing turnover by 25% and increasing output by 30%."
3. No Quantifiable Results
Numbers are one of the most effective things you can add to a CV. They're concrete, memorable, and prove impact. Yet many CVs don't include a single one.
Fix: Think about revenue generated, costs saved, time reduced, customers served, team size, satisfaction scores — anything measurable.
4. One CV for Every Application
If you're sending the same CV to every job, you're competing against people who tailored theirs. Recruiters can usually tell.
Fix: Adjust your summary, reorder skills, and tweak bullet points to mirror the language and priorities of each job description.
5. Too Long (or Too Short)
A 4-page CV for a mid-level role screams "I can't prioritise." A half-page CV for a senior role says "I have nothing to offer." Both lose.
Fix: 2 pages for most UK roles. 1 page for graduates. Focus your detail on the last 2-3 roles and list earlier ones briefly. More in how long should a CV be?
6. Poor Formatting
Inconsistent fonts, random bold text, cramped spacing, and creative layouts might look interesting to you — but they confuse ATS systems and annoy recruiters.
Fix: Use one font family, consistent heading sizes, clear section breaks, and plenty of white space. Simple always wins.
7. Missing Keywords
ATS systems scan for specific keywords from the job description. If your CV doesn't include them, it can rank below CVs that do, sometimes before a person has read it.
Fix: Read the job description carefully and naturally include key terms throughout your CV — especially in skills, summary, and experience sections.
8. Unexplained Career Gaps
A 2-year gap with no explanation makes recruiters nervous. They'll assume the worst unless you address it.
Fix: Briefly explain gaps: "Career break for family commitments" or "Freelance consulting while relocating." Honesty is always better than silence. Our guide to explaining gaps in your CV has example wording for common reasons.
9. Irrelevant Information
Your GCSE results from 2005, your paper round, or your love of reading don't belong on a professional CV — unless they're directly relevant.
Fix: Every line on your CV should earn its place. Ask: "Would this make a recruiter want to call me?" If no, cut it.
10. No Proofreading
Typos, grammatical errors, and inconsistent tenses signal carelessness. If you can't get your own CV right, why would an employer trust you with their work?
Fix: Read your CV backwards (catches errors your brain auto-corrects). Then get someone else to review it — which is exactly what our community review system is for.
How to Check Your CV
Check your CV free on CV Mojo: in about 30 seconds the AI check flags many of these issues and shows you what to fix first. Members can review your CV too.