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New research from the New College of Humanities has found you have less than 60 seconds to impress your potential boss before your resume gets tossed in the bin. With 20 per cent of recruiters say they discard a CV before they even get to the end. Ouch.
Luckily, the research also looked into the top 10 things employers hate to see on your CV, quizzing 860 recruiters about common mistakes people make. So how to stand out from the pack? Don’t do any of these…
1. Typos and grammatical errors
It’s confirmed: theirs nothing worse than having you’re CV full of typos. (See what we did there?)
59 per cent of recruiters surveyed said this was the biggest mistake you could make. Spelling errors instantly demonstrate poor attention to detail and laziness. Spell check is literally a click away – if you’re not sure of a word, don’t use it.
2. Using an overly casual tone
This isn’t your best friend – you’re addressing someone who could potentially be your future boss. Stick to formal language and the proper, appropriate salutations. Again if you’re not sure, it’s always worth double checking with a trusted friend. (Post continues after gallery.)
Characters we'd like to share an office with.
3. Using jargon or clichés
While the study found 24 per cent of candidates claim they have “excellent written communication skills”, almost twice as many are guilty of relying on tired clichés like “team player” – one of several phrases recruiters absolutely hate to see.
“Can work independently” topped the list as the most hated, closely followed by “hard worker”, “works well under pressure”, “problem solver” and “good listener”.