1. A generic objective statement at the top
"Results-driven professional seeking new opportunities in a dynamic environment."
This tells the reader nothing. Replace it with a 2–3 sentence personal summary specific to the role: your current title, your area of expertise, and what you bring. Generic statements waste the most-read section of your entire CV.
2. Listing tasks instead of impact
"Responsible for managing the company's social media accounts."
Every CV says something like this. What changed because of you? What did you build or achieve?
"Grew organic LinkedIn following from 3k to 22k over 12 months by shifting from promotional posts to weekly industry commentary."
Same job. Completely different impression on the reader.
3. Including every job you've ever had
The Saturday job from 2005 doesn't belong on a senior developer's CV in 2026. Include the last 10–15 years, or the last 5–7 relevant roles — whichever is shorter.
4. Getting the length wrong
One page for under 10 years of experience. Two pages for 10+ years or senior roles. Not three pages. Not one dense page in 8pt font. The length should feel deliberate, not like you ran out of space or couldn't bear to cut anything.
5. Inconsistent formatting
Date formats that change halfway through. Job titles in bold in some roles and not others. Bullet points in some sections and prose paragraphs in others.
These inconsistencies signal carelessness to a reader who is actively looking for reasons to filter candidates out.
6. No numbers anywhere
Numbers are the difference between a good CV and a memorable one. You don't need precise figures — estimates work. "Reduced page load time by roughly 40%" is more useful than "improved site performance."
Where you can add a number — a count, a percentage, a timeframe, a team size, a budget managed — add one.
7. The wrong file name
"CV.pdf." "my_cv_final_v3_NEW.pdf." "Dave's CV (updated).docx."
Name your file: FirstName-LastName-CV.pdf. It's the first impression before a recruiter has read a single word.
8. A photo in the wrong market
In the UK, US, Australia, and Canada, photos on CVs are unusual and can invite unconscious bias. In parts of Europe (Germany, France, Spain) they are still common. Know your market. When in doubt, leave the photo out.
9. Skills you can't back up
"Advanced Excel" when you know basic formulas. "Fluent French" when you're conversational. These will surface in an interview or a skills test, and the credibility damage is worse than if you'd listed nothing.
10. Not tailoring for the role
A CV that works for every job usually works well for none of them. The highest-converting CVs are adjusted for each application: the summary references the role, the bullet points emphasise relevant experience, and the skills section reflects what the job description asks for.
Keep a master CV with everything in it. Trim and tune it for each application.
If you want to rebuild your CV cleanly from scratch — or import and reshape an existing one — NobelCV takes you from draft to PDF without any friction.