10 CV mistakes recruiters spot in seconds and how to fix each

Recruiters open CVs in stacks. They are not looking for reasons to say yes — they are looking for the fastest reason to say no. These are the ten mistakes that trigger that no, and the quick fix for each.

1. A vague headline

Problem: "Hard-working professional seeking opportunities" tells the recruiter nothing and matches no job.

Fix: Use the target role title plus one specialty. "Senior Frontend Engineer with React and design systems experience."

2. No numbers anywhere

Problem: A CV with zero quantification reads like a job description, not a track record.

Fix: Aim for at least one number per role — revenue, percentage, team size, frequency, scope. Estimates are fine if you label them ("approximately").

3. Responsibility lists instead of achievements

Problem: "Responsible for managing the team and reporting to senior leadership." This was your job description, not what you accomplished.

Fix: Rewrite each bullet as Verb plus Object plus Result. Show outcomes, not duties.

4. The same keywords as every other CV

Problem: "Team player, hard-working, passionate, detail-oriented." These adjectives are so common they are invisible.

Fix: Cut them. Replace with specific evidence: "led 4-person squad through a 9-month re-platforming" beats "team player".

5. A photo when the market does not expect one

Problem: Photos invite unconscious bias and are explicitly discouraged in many markets (UK, US, Canada, Australia).

Fix: Skip the photo for those markets. For Vietnam, Japan, and parts of Europe, a clean professional headshot is still standard. Match local convention.

6. Inconsistent formatting

Problem: Three fonts, four bullet styles, dates aligned differently per section. Visual noise signals carelessness.

Fix: One font, one bullet style, one date format (e.g. "Mar 2023 to Aug 2024"), one heading hierarchy. Use a template that enforces this.

7. Skills that cannot be verified

Problem: "Expert in 14 programming languages and 6 cloud platforms" reads as either inflated or shallow.

Fix: List only what you would be comfortable being interviewed on. Group by proficiency (Daily use, Working knowledge, Familiar) if it helps.

8. Outdated or irrelevant experience taking the top half

Problem: A part-time retail job from 8 years ago sitting above your current senior role.

Fix: Put recent and relevant roles up top. Older or unrelated roles can be one line, or summarised in an "Earlier experience" block.

9. Typos and tense slips

Problem: "Manage a team" in a role you left two years ago. Past roles use past tense; only the current role uses present.

Fix: Run a spellchecker, then read every bullet out loud once. Read in reverse order to catch what your brain auto-completes.

10. The file name says "CV-final-v7.docx"

Problem: Recruiters store CVs by file name. "CV-final-v7" is unprofessional and unsearchable.

Fix: Save as "FirstName-LastName-CV-Role.pdf" — for example "Linh-Nguyen-CV-ProductManager.pdf". Always export to PDF unless the application form explicitly asks for Word.

The 30-second pre-send review

• Headline names the role you want.
• At least one number under each job.
• No "responsible for", no "team player", no "passionate".
• One font, one date format, consistent bullets.
• File name is "FirstName-LastName-CV-Role.pdf".
• Saved as PDF, opens correctly on mobile.

Catch these automatically

Tavie runs every section against this checklist as you type — flagging missing numbers, weak verbs, banned phrases, and naming the file correctly on export. The goal is for the version you send to already pass the 30-second review.

Today's mission: open your current CV, run this 10-point list against it, and fix the first three mistakes you find.