Applying for a job and sending your resume over to a company is your first impression and you only get to make that first impression once. You set the tone before you even get the chance to speak with or meet the person shortlisting for the role.
A lot of people query why they were not called in for an interview. Here are the most common answers that I give to people:
1. Your skills where not relevant to the role- A lot of the time people have a generic email that they use to apply for everything. Although you may have the relevant skills that are listed in the advertisement, if they are not clearly visible on your resume I will not know this- I am not a mind reader. And of course there are the people who have been working as a Receptionist for the last 10 years and have applied for a Senior Engineering position…need I say more?
2. There are errors in your Resume- For many vacant positions attention to detail is paramount. If there are spelling or grammatical errors throughout your resume this shows me that you are not suitable for the role.
3. Your Resume is difficult to read- When your resume is very difficult to read it is very hard to quickly match up your experience with the skill set required for the vacant position and things are easily missed. To avoid this list your skills and experience with dot points rather than lengthy paragraphs and keep your resume relevant – you do not need to list the positions you had over ten years ago.
4. You sent me a scanned copy of your resume – This can this look very messy and unprofessional, It is always best to retype your CV if you only have a hard copy.
5. You have put an unprofessional photo of your resume – You may be surprised with the amount of “selfies” with duck face and all we have seen on resumes. You do not need to put a photo on your CV, if you do not have a professional photo you are better off not to put one on at all.
6. You have sent me a cover letter or resume expressing your interest in a different role industry or hours of work. This happens a lot- ATTENTION TO DETAIL!
7. You have moved around too much- A lot of people miss out on excellent opportunities because they have simply moved around too much. If you have a track record of only staying in your previous positions for 6 months most companies are going to assume you are only going to stay with them for a short period of time. If you have moved from roles for a reason such as contracts ending or the roles being temporary please make a clear note of this on your CV.
Please note, the above are not all necessarily deal breakers, but when you are competing against other job seekers with similar skills and experience, these points may be the deciding factor between securing an interview or not.