Seven reasons your CV may be letting you down

Felicity Evans • March 11, 2015

Your CV is packed with buzz words and jargon

Are you a ‘forward-thinking problem-solver’ or a ‘dynamic, solutions-focused individual’? These sorts of phrases irritate human resources staff no end as they tell them next to nothing about what you can actually bring to the company, and they make the process of ‘sifting’ CVs that much harder. But using buzz words and jargon is a trap many fall into in the mistaken belief it will somehow convey added cleverness, so by avoiding them – and using clear, fact-based descriptions instead – you not only stand a better chance of your true values being recognised, you’ll stand out from the crowd, too.

You only have one CV

Now, we’re not suggesting that you begin a collection of wildly varying, illicit CVs, each reflecting a fantasy job you are in no way qualified to do (‘Hmm, this here’s my airline pilot CV, and this is my heart surgeon CV…’). But the flipside is almost as daft: having one ‘standard’ CV that you send for every vacancy, effectively disregarding the person specification. In a competitive job market, you must make sure you take every opportunity to shine, and the person specification is that opportunity..’

So, read the specification carefully and go through your CV, ensuring required skills are emphasised; for every post that interests you, there will be certain strengths you have that are more, or less, relevant. This may take a little longer in the short term, but it will help many more of your applications to hit the mark.*

Your Facebook page really doesn’t show you at your best

Whether or not it seems entirely reasonable, the fact is that some potential employers will try to uncover more about you by viewing your social media output. With this in mind, either make sure your Facebook pages and/or Twitter feed are well populated with content showing what an all-round good egg you are – or be prepared to switch settings to ‘private’. If your prospective boss finds evidence of what she or he considers anti-social behaviour, then your CV could come gift-wrapped with a free unicorn – it will still go in the bin.

Your skills are creative or practical, and you’ve only got a paper CV

If your job involves making or designing things, performing or coaching, then take full advantage of easy and accessible content sharing by creating showreels, videos or websites. It’s not hard to do – there are plenty of how-to guides online – and even something simple will not only showcase your talents, but also prove you understand how important and relevant the multi-media approach is.

Your CV doesn’t reflect the career stage you’ve reached

This is something even the most conscientious CV writer can be guilty of, especially if, like many, your CV doesn’t really get an outing from one decade to the next. But the fact is, at different stages of your career, your CV will almost certainly benefit from following different formats. Recent graduates should put their qualifications at the top, plus any skills gained through attending courses or in a work environment (this could include volunteering). Those beginning to climb further up their chosen career ladder can use a ‘reverse chronology’ format, where they begin with their most recent post and work backwards to their first (or first relevant) post. Finally, a change of career means you should begin your CV with the transferable skills you’ve gained, detailing where appropriate how those skills proved invaluable to past employers. For example: your strong negotiating won several blue-chip clients; your knowledge of IT meant you saved time and money by implementing a new system, and so forth.

Your CV is perfect! (But your cover letter is awful…)

Now, you’ve taken all our advice and your CV could not be better. But do remember that the covering letter is just as important, because it’s what most hirers will read first. As with the CV, make sure all spelling and grammar are accurate, but also refer back to the person specification, highlighting how you fit the bill. Last but not least, demonstrate why you find working for the company appealing, and make it clear you’ve researched them and are keen to join the team.

You’ve used Comic Sans

Don’t. Just don’t.

* Here at Recruit Mint, we sit down and take time to work out what your strengths and weaknesses are, enabling you to improve your CV in the process and to work out what kind of jobs require which of your skills.

August 18, 2025
Here's an uncomfortable truth for the recruitment industry: we're systematically excluding some of the most talented individuals from our candidate pools. While neurodiversity-related job postings have nearly quadrupled from 1% to 3.8% in recent years, the stark reality remains that just 31% of people with autism are in employment compared to 54.7% of disabled people overall. In a UK market where employers are struggling with talent shortages and the fight for skilled professionals has never been fiercer, this represents a monumental waste of human potential. The recruitment industry has a problem, and it's one of our own making. Traditional recruitment processes are designed by neurotypical minds for neurotypical candidates, creating barriers that systematically filter out neurodivergent talent. But here's the kicker: teams with neurodivergent professionals are 30% more productive than those without and boast a 90% employee retention rate. If you're not implementing neurodiversity recruitment strategies, you're not just missing out—you're actively disadvantaging your clients and your business in an increasingly competitive market.
By Karl Montgomery August 18, 2025
Here's a hard truth that might sting: your CV isn't enough anymore. In today's hypercompetitive UK job market, where unemployment has reached 4.6% and over 100,000 jobs were lost between April and May 2025, standing out isn't just advantageous—it's essential for survival. With 52% of working-age adults unable to complete all 20 basic digital tasks that industry and government agree are essential for work, the candidates who can demonstrate their digital competency through a professional portfolio will have a significant advantage. But here's the controversial bit: most professionals are creating portfolios completely wrong. They're either treating them as glorified CV extensions or cramming them with irrelevant work that dilutes their impact. If you're serious about career advancement, it's time to master professional digital portfolio creation properly.
By Karl Montgomery July 22, 2025
Here's a statement that will make every recruitment leader squirm: Your recruitment marketing is burning money, and you don't even know it. While you're celebrating that uptick in applications, your actual quality hires are plummeting. While you're patting yourself on the back for lower cost-per-application, your cost-per-quality-hire is spiralling out of control. And while you're obsessing over job board metrics, your competitors are leveraging recruitment marketing analytics to dominate the talent market. The harsh reality? 57% of marketers use leads to measure the success of their marketing initiatives. In recruitment terms, that's like judging a restaurant by how many people walk past the door instead of how many actually buy a meal and come back for more.
By Karl Montgomery July 22, 2025
Here's a controversial statement that'll ruffle some feathers: Your pandemic career gap is not the liability you think it is—it's actually your secret weapon. While you've been losing sleep over that employment gap between March 2020 and whenever you landed back on your feet, the recruitment landscape has fundamentally shifted. That gap you're trying to hide? It's become so commonplace that more than half (53%) of all candidates screened in the last 12 months have career gaps on their CVs, according to employment screening provider Accurate Background. The pandemic didn't just change how we work—it rewrote the rules of what employers expect from a CV. If you're still approaching your pandemic career gap resume with pre-2020 thinking, you're not just behind the curve; you're potentially sabotaging your chances with outdated anxiety.
By Karl Montgomery July 14, 2025
Here's an uncomfortable truth that most recruitment leaders won't admit: your current ATS is actively sabotaging your ability to find the best candidates . While you've been religiously adding keywords to job descriptions and hoping for algorithmic magic, the most talented professionals have been slipping through your digital fingers – not because they lack the skills, but because they don't speak your system's rigid language. The recruitment technology revolution isn't coming. It's here. And it's fundamentally rewriting the rules of candidate discovery in ways that make traditional keyword-based systems look as outdated as fax machines in a WhatsApp world. Welcome to the age of AI candidate search technology, where understanding context matters more than matching words, and where the smartest recruitment teams are already gaining an almost unfair advantage over those still stuck in Boolean search hell.
By Karl Montgomery July 14, 2025
Here's an uncomfortable truth: most of us are rubbish at negotiating our own worth . While 55% of job candidates don't even attempt to negotiate their salary, the very employers who'd benefit from their skills are sitting there wondering why talented people keep walking away from "generous" offers. But here's where it gets interesting – we're living through the biggest shift in workplace transparency since the gender pay gap reporting requirements landed in 2017. Pay transparency isn't just knocking at the UK's door; it's already reshaping how smart candidates approach salary conversations. The question isn't whether you should negotiate – it's whether you're equipped with the salary negotiation strategies that actually work in 2025.
By Karl Montgomery May 14, 2025
The UK's food manufacturing sector stands at a critical crossroads. With advanced automation technologies revolutionising production processes, a significant disconnect has emerged between the sophisticated capabilities of Industry 4.0 systems and the skills of the existing workforce. This gap isn't just a minor operational challenge—it represents an existential threat to the sector's competitiveness, productivity, and long-term sustainability.
By Karl Montgomery May 14, 2025
The explosion of e-commerce has fundamentally transformed the logistics landscape, pushing traditional warehouse and distribution models beyond their limits. In the UK, where online penetration rates have increased from 9.3% to 26.6% between 2012 and 2022, logistics providers face mounting pressure to deliver faster, more flexible solutions while maintaining efficiency and controlling costs. This revolution isn't just changing what logistics teams do – it's transforming how they're structured, the skills they need, and the roles they're creating to meet the demands of the digital commerce age.
By Karl Montgomery May 14, 2025
In today's fast-paced business environment, the ability to secure top talent quickly has become a critical competitive differentiator. Yet many organisations continue to struggle with prolonged hiring processes that not only frustrate candidates but also impact the bottom line in ways that often go unmeasured. While quality hiring decisions should never be rushed, there's a substantial difference between thorough assessment and unnecessary delays.
By Shazamme System User May 12, 2025
In the competitive landscape of technical recruitment, your CV might secure you an interview, but it's your problem-solving prowess that will land you the job. Technical interviews have evolved far beyond simple knowledge checks, becoming sophisticated evaluations of how you approach challenges, communicate solutions, and adapt under pressure.
Show More