Are you making these 6 common CV mistakes?

Let`s fix that CV now…

Just yesterday we were in another meeting with a particular airline`s recruitment team. It started out as a general discussion which eventually turned into an interesting one on the most common mistakes that job seekers make when compiling their CVs. Although there are dozens of silly mistakes that many job applicants make every day, here we are going to zoom in a bit on only a few of them. In addition to that, we also have a FREE aviation CV writing course that you can enroll in today after you are done with reading this article.

1. Incorrect layout and length.

You probably hear this all the time but it is worth mentioning again that airline recruiters don`t have time to waste and they cannot compromise on quality. Your CV must be short and yet comprehensive enough to grab their attention in the first couple of paragraphs. If it is more than 3 pages then they will be more than happy to discard your CV because yes, they get bored too. Recruiters are human too. In addition to that, your layout must be clean. If you are using any colors on formatting and design, your colors must not shout out loud. Blue is a smart, clean color that you can flow with consistently in your CV. Why would you write your CV in red? You are not applying for a pre-school teacher`s position. Your CV must instantly give that wow factor and immediately demonstrate the value you bring.

2. One size fits all

Most people think it saves them time to just create one CV that they throw around everywhere for every available job opportunity. That`s being outrageously lazy. Well, having a “one size fits all” CV approach may be appropriate for lower paying jobs, but in the airline world it does not work like that. Aviation is a highly competitive industry and you will need to take a more focused approach when applying for airline jobs. Use aviation specific keywords. We are not saying start writing about Bernoullis theory of flight, PIREPS and SIGMETS in your CV. No. Just include words that are suitable for the role and apply them throughout your CV at appropriate points. For example, if you’re applying for a pilot`s position and you fail to mention the word “On Type” in your CV, you are less likely to make the cut.

3. Forgetting the most important details

Are you applying to Qatar Airways, Ethiopian, Etihad or Gulf Air? You definitely have to include your height on your CV. Infact, most airline recruiters expect you to reach to a specified vertical height and you might just as well make their job easier by sending this information in advance on your CV. The most common height is between 150cm and 190cm tall. If you would like to be a bit more specific or unique you can write your reach and not your height: Your reach is basically how tall you are when you have no shoes on and when you have your arms stretched fully above your head to reach the highest mark possible. Even though your reach is closely related to your height, airline recruiters closely favor reach as it is more accurate and is increasingly becoming “the measurement” for determining your suitability to work inside a cabin. Got it?

4. Incorrect filing

I have seen too many aviation job seekers submit files called “CV.doc. Another classic example is files that are named using numbers, like 567589008.doc. Tjo, what is that? Keep your full name and the job you’re applying for in the file name. This will make it easier for the recruiters to find and it also suggests that your CV is tailored to the role.

5. Vague work experience description

This is the most common mistake we have seen so far: Let`s view an example:

May 2016 to July 2016

Sales Clerk

Duties: Generating new sales. Filing new reports. Preparing financial statements

The mistake in the above example is that the candidate wrote in present tense, ‘generating, filing, preparing etc’. If it is an old job you once worked at never write in the present tense. Instead, write in past tense highlighting the achievements you made during your time in the position. We can develop the example above to show this:

May 2016 to July 2016

Sales Clerk

• Generated 603 unique sales for the May to July work period

• Filed 7 new customer reports daily.

• Helped prepare weekly financial statements for the Directors` attention.

Do this and you will make recruiters happy. They want to know the facts and figures. How have you added value? What tangible examples can you give them to illustrate this? How has the business change for the better since you joined?

6. Everybody`s professional objective

We`ve all seen those professional objectives that start with “an excellent team-player and can work independently” Yah yah yah excellent team player, right? And so is my dog. Most applicants simply paste the same vague and clichéd job objective. Everybody writes “Highly motivated” or “Self-motivated” bla bla bla on their CV. Think about it – you are guilty of that one too. These types of phrases may sound cool, but you don`t know the damage they do to your CV. They are just too common, are overused and betray a lack of original thought. The problem with cliched phrases is that they are hugely overused and they don’t tell readers anything about you. Your professional objective must be genuinely specific and should be something that focuses on the employer’s needs as well as your own. Be unique and be yourself. Airline recruiters are looking for fish that swim across the current.

Would you like to make your CV very attractive to the recruiters? Why don`t you enroll in our FREE course entitled ‘How To Write An Excellent CV.’ See you in the short course!