5 Common CV Mistakes for Entry-Level Professionals (and How to Fix Them)

Starting Your Career? Don’t Let These CV Mistakes Hold You Back!

Landing your first professional role or making that early career move is exciting! You’ve got the skills, the enthusiasm, and maybe 1-3 years of valuable experience under your belt. But is your CV doing you justice? Even small mistakes can knock you out of the running before you even get a chance to impress.

We see a lot of CVs here at ThePerfectCV, especially from talented people just starting out. The good news is that the most common mistakes are easy to fix. Let’s look at 5 frequent slip-ups entry-level professionals make and how you can avoid them (with a little help from us!).

1. The Vague, Generic Objective or Summary

The Mistake: Starting your CV with a fuzzy statement like “Seeking a challenging role in a dynamic company where I can utilize my skills and grow professionally.” This tells the recruiter almost nothing specific about you or what you want.

The Fix: Tailor it! Write a concise Professional Summary (if you have 1-3 years experience) or a targeted Career Objective (if you’re a fresh graduate) that highlights your key skills and career goals relevant to the specific job you’re applying for. Mention the job title or industry.

• ThePerfectCV Tip: Struggling to find the right words? Our AI-powered summary generator can help you craft a compelling opening statement based on the information you’ve already added to your CV.

2. Listing Duties, Not Achievements

The Mistake: Simply listing your responsibilities like a job description (e.g., “Responsible for customer service,” “Handled social media posts”). Recruiters want to know what you accomplished, not just what you were supposed to do.

The Fix: Think results! Use action verbs and quantify your accomplishments whenever possible. Instead of “Handled social media posts,” try “Increased Instagram engagement by 15% in three months by implementing a new content strategy.”

• Think: What problems did you solve? What processes did you improve? What positive results did you contribute to?

3. Sneaky Typos and Grammar Goofs

The Mistake: Small errors in spelling or grammar. They might seem minor, but they scream “lack of attention to detail” – a quality no employer wants.

The Fix: Proofread, proofread, proofread! Read your CV backward (sentence by sentence) to catch errors your brain might skip over. Use spell-check and grammar tools (like Grammarly). Ask a friend or mentor to give it a final look.

• ThePerfectCV Tip: While building your CV with us, always take that extra minute to review the text. Our clean interface makes it easy to spot inconsistencies.

4. Cluttered Formatting and Poor Readability

The Mistake: Using weird fonts, inconsistent spacing, tiny margins, or long, dense paragraphs. Recruiters often spend only seconds scanning a CV; if it’s hard to read, they’ll likely move on.

The Fix: Keep it clean and professional. Use standard fonts (like Arial, Calibri, Georgia). Ensure consistent formatting for headings, dates, and bullet points. Use white space effectively to guide the reader’s eye. Bullet points are your friend for listing skills and achievements!

• ThePerfectCV Tip: This is where our templates shine! Choose from dozens of professionally designed, recruiter-approved templates that ensure perfect formatting and readability every time.

5. Including Irrelevant Information

The Mistake: Padding your CV with skills, hobbies, or past jobs (like that summer waiting tables, unless it’s directly relevant to a customer service role you want) that have nothing to do with the job you’re applying for.

The Fix: Be ruthless! Every single line on your CV should support your application for this specific job. Read the job description carefully and highlight the skills and experiences they’re looking for. Remove anything that doesn’t add value.

• ThePerfectCV Tip: It’s easy to duplicate your CV within ThePerfectCV. Create a master version, then copy and tailor it specifically for each job application, removing or rephrasing sections as needed.

Ready to Create a Flawless CV?

Avoiding these common mistakes can significantly boost your chances of getting noticed as an entry-level professional. Remember to tailor your content, focus on achievements, proofread carefully, keep the formatting clean, and stay relevant.

Ready to put these tips into action? Try building your standout CV with ThePerfectCV today and explore our templates designed to make you look professional from day one!