Guide
Common CV mistakes that cost interviews
The patterns that quietly sink applications — vague summaries, buried evidence, formatting traps, and claims you cannot defend.
Updated 2026-09-20 · 7 min read
A strong career can still look weak on paper
Many rejected applications are not about lack of skill. They fail the skim: the wrong story sits at the top, the relevant proof is buried, or the file is hard for an ATS to parse.
Mistakes that show up in the first screen
Fix these before you polish fonts or colors.
- A generic summary that could belong to any role family
- Duties instead of outcomes in the top third of the page
- Keywords listed once in a skills dump but missing from recent bullets
- Dates, titles, or contact details trapped in headers, tables, or images
- Claims that contradict the cover letter or interview stories
Use the job description as a red-pen pass
Highlight must-haves on the posting, then ask which of them a stranger would see in your first half page. If the answer is unclear, rewrite before you apply.
A match score is useful as a checklist of missing evidence — not as a vanity metric. Edit until the gaps that matter are closed or honestly deferred.
Ship one clean, tailored PDF
Do not send a master archive CV “for now.” Export an ATS-safe, role-specific PDF, open it on another device, and confirm text is selectable. Then log the version you sent so interviews stay consistent with the file.
Put this into practice
Upload your CV and paste a job description to generate a tailored, ATS-safe draft you can edit before you apply.
Optimize your CV