Days went by as I anxiously waited to hear back from my dream job. I had all of the qualifications: excellent GPA, references, and everything else that makes up a powerful application. I even Google searched the recruiter to find our common interests and highlight them in my cover letter (that’s not creepy, right?). Everyday after 6pm, I lost a little more hope of landing the job.
What could have gone wrong though? I was their perfect match! So, I angrily pulled up my cover letter and CV to show my friends as I vented my frustrations on how I couldn’t believe that I didn’t even get a call from them. As I was ranting and raving to my friends about the great opportunity they missed out on (me, of course!), my friend, Sara, burst into laughter.
I had misspelled “Education” in the second headline of my CV, right under the “Skills” section where I had listed “detail-oriented” and “content writing.” I think both of these proclaimed skills went out the window whenever they read “Educatoin.” Thank you so much computer for not catching that typo.
Of course I know how to spell “Education” in my everyday life. It’s something about job applications though where I apparently lose all my grammar education, forget any leadership activities I’ve done, and generally find it impossible to put myself in the best light possible.
Aside from the typo, I have an overall difficulty in coming up with content for my CV. I have a few different theories on this: maybe it’s that I’m supposed to be humble so listing my achievements feels braggy or maybe the reflection aspect of condensing my life into 1-2 pages makes me self-conscious of what I haven’t done. Either way, I know I’m not alone in this feeling.
As far as I know, all of my colleagues have this same experience when they try to sit down and write their CV (definitely tailored to each different employer, right?).
How do we shake those feelings to make sure that we are marketing ourselves appropriately? On top of that, how do we make sure our CVs are impeccable when we can easily overlook typos and inconsistencies no matter how many times we proofread
Basically, between thoughtless typos, our own insecurities, and a general difficulty in knowing how to market ourselves, a lot can go wrong when writing your CV. As the job market is becoming increasingly difficult, more and more candidates are opting to have their CVs written professionally.
When I first heard of a friend doing this, my response was probably like yours: yeah whatever-- I can do it myself. Then I saw her interviews roll in as I was sitting there with “Education” misspelled and not even a condolence email. So I started to ruminate over the thought that maybe someone who recruits professionally, has been writing CVs for decades, and has an intimate knowledge of the industry that I’m trying to excel in can market my skills to hiring companies better than I can. Who knew! And that’s when I avoided the infamous downfall of my own hubris.
Our CV is our one shot to convince employers that we’re knowledgeable, skilled, and capable. Yes, we all make mistakes, but we can’t afford to make them here and that’s why, sometimes, it’s best to leave it to the professionals. Hiring a second opinion only makes sense when we consider the return on the investment we can achieve when we finally land the job that we’ve been searching for. Trust me: opt for a professionally written CV today so that you’re not stuck in a subpar office with a boss who thinks educatoin is important.
Learn more about professional CV writing and landing your dream job by clicking here.
