CV Online Creation – 10 Pitfalls to Avoid

Publishing a CV online isn’t the first thing that comes to mind to many job seekers. After all, people often don’t know what employers want when it comes to CV writing or employee expectations. This is where most of the CV writing mistakes happen as well.

No matter how skilled or experienced you are, a good CV will be your gate toward a better career moving forward. Without creating your CV online and doing it properly, no employer or recruiter will know about you and your values as an employee. Let’s go over the 10 most critical pitfalls to avoid when it comes to creating an online CV to improve your future job prospects.

1. Relying on Clichés and Industry Tropes

Differentiating yourself from others in your industry should be a top priority when writing your CV online. To do that, you should avoid industry tropes and cliché words and phrases as much as possible. Phrases such as “best of the best” or “top dog” won’t bring you anywhere close to the job you want.

Employer expectations boil down to this – present yourself in the best possible way in as few words as possible. Be honest about your experience, skills, and future goals – the right employer will recognize your value and reach out to you without you embellishing your CV.

2. Unprofessional Writing and Formatting of your CV

To find the best job for your skillset, you will need to write a CV adequately enough for employers to consider hiring you. According to data reports, 78% of companies use reliable platforms such as oneglobe.life to hire new employees  – and for good reasons.

Such a platform allows for easier employee search and leaves out applications via email or social media altogether. By using oneglobe.life, you can create your CV using a professional CV builder. This will help you proofread and format your CV online without having to dabble into other tools at all.

3. Presenting Employers with Incorrect Contact Info

If an employer is interested in working with you and would like to invite you to an interview, they’ll refer to your contact information. It’s critical that your contact information is valid and that you are close by when the call or email happens.

Responding to your future employers’ messages quickly can improve your employment odds – failing to do so will have the opposite effect. Go over your phone numbers, email, and social media handles carefully. Make sure there are no typos or misspelled words. Publishing your CV online without checking these isn’t a good idea.

4. Attaching an Unprofessional Email Address

Your email address will make a small but important impression on the employer or recruiter reading your CV. Many of us prefer to use the same email addresses for years without considering their meaning or validity for professional correspondence.

However, applying for a high-profile job with an email that is a reference to a video game character or your favorite TV show isn’t smart. Try to acquire an email address with your name and last name on email platforms such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or MSN. Look for a handle that is as professional and reserved as possible to avoid unnecessary confusion or a poor impression in your CV online.

5. Not Vetting your Social Media Accounts

Employers will certainly look over your social media accounts regardless of whether you attach them to your CV online. The reason for this is simple – we all have a digital footprint on social media platforms. It’s a good idea for you to go over your social media profiles on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram before you apply for work.

Try to clean up your profiles as best as you can without deleting everything from them, which would be somewhat suspicious. Do your best to present your social media profiles as “normal”, without any content which may be inappropriate or improper for adults to post. Employers will appreciate socially acceptable social media profiles.

6. Creating a Single Universal CV for All Job Applications

The benefit of applying for work with a CV online is that you can adjust your CV based on what the employer needs. For example, if you’re applying for a digital marketing position, using an IT-centric CV may not be a good idea. This is one of the big reasons for the global employee hiring system needing a major overhaul.

It’s also why so many employers have shifted to professional job listing platforms such as oneglobe.life instead of hiring employees on their own. Don’t apply for different jobs in various niches within your industry with a single CV. Instead, create several variations of your CV with different skills and experiences emphasized based on the job listing’s details.

7. Failing to Use Your Spare Time Productively

Once you’ve created your CV online and are ready for employers to reach out to you, you shouldn’t sit and wait for something to happen. Based on recent statistics, 90% of recruiters have rejected candidates due to them being unfit for their business cultures, for example.

It is very important that you consider all of your options when looking for work and not settle for a single job listing to pursue day-in, day-out. Instead of that, you can use your spare time to learn new skills, explore industry trends, and look through available job offers. By learning new skills in the meantime, you can enrich your CV online to further improve your odds of being hired.

8. Not Elaborating on your Roles and Responsibilities

When you list your previous experiences, professional employment, and volunteering roles, you must elaborate on them. Simply listing your roles and their duration in the CV won’t do you any favors. Employers would like to know exactly what you did in each role you partook in in the past.

This will give them a better idea of your skills and competencies related to their job openings. Take some time to explain what it is that you were in charge of, how you performed, and what you learned in specific positions. Mentioning that you’ve worked with particular businesses in the past may also work in your favor since employers like to ask for employee references

9. Not Using the Right Industry Keywords

No matter if you apply for a job as a programmer, designer, or project manager, you need to know which keywords to use in your CV online. Employers will be on the lookout for particular words and phrases unique to different industries and niches.

For example, if you’re applying for a graphic designer’s position, using phrases like “branding”, “typography”, or “layout” will add credence to your CV. Employers who are closely familiar with the type of work you specialize in will look at your CV online favorably. Following that, it will be much easier for you to find work in your field. Failing to use the words and phrases which are expected and used as traditional lingo in your industry will make finding work needlessly more difficult.

10. Poor Translation and Localization into English

If you apply for international jobs, jobs related to language and translation, or are looking for opportunities abroad, you should write your CV online in English. While English may not be your native language, the CV you create should be written as professionally as possible.

You should translate your data with the help of a translator or a machine-learning platform such as Google Translate. This is a better path to take than to translate your CV data by hand. You shouldn’t however translate industry-specific jargon and abbreviations (SEO is referred to as SEO internationally, for example). It will help you avoid misspelling certain terms and make your data as easy to understand as possible.

To Summarize

When making your CV online, you must be careful and thorough in your efforts to create a representative curriculum vitae. Many employers and recruiters won’t give you a second chance at making a good first impression if you flunk it the first time around.

Treat your CV as an essential extension of your persona on the job market and the right employers will recognize your efforts. Once that happens, your next job employment will be all but set in stone – do everything you can to avoid the CV mistakes we’ve listed above.