Most CVs are not rejected because the person isn't good enough. They're rejected because the CV doesn't show it. The same handful of mistakes turn up again and again, on CVs from genuinely capable, experienced people — and they're almost all fixable in an afternoon. Here's what to look for.
1. A profile that could belong to anyone
"Hard-working, results-driven professional with excellent communication skills" tells a recruiter nothing, because it could be pasted onto any CV in the pile. Your profile should say who you are, what you do, and what you're aiming at next — specifically enough that it wouldn't fit someone else's CV. Three or four lines is plenty.
2. Listing duties instead of outcomes
"Responsible for managing a team" describes the job, not you. A recruiter can already guess the duties from your job title — what they can't guess is what you actually did with the role. Every bullet should point at a result: what changed, grew, improved or got fixed because you were there. If a bullet reads the same as it would for anyone who held the title, rewrite it.
3. Burying the relevant stuff
Recruiters skim. If the most relevant experience for this role is three roles down the page, or buried in the middle of a long paragraph, it may as well not be there. Put your most recent and most relevant material where it will actually be read — near the top, and near the start of each bullet list.
4. Formatting that breaks the ATS
Tables, text boxes, multi-column layouts, and contact details tucked inside a document header or footer can all be misread or dropped entirely by applicant tracking systems. The result is a CV that looks fine to you and arrives at the recruiter's screen missing your name, your dates, or half your experience. Keep the layout plain: single column, standard headings, no graphics carrying information a machine needs to read.
5. Typos and inconsistency
One typo won't sink you, but a scattering of them signals carelessness — which is exactly the opposite of what you want a hiring manager to conclude before they've met you. The same goes for inconsistent formatting: dates written three different ways, bullet styles that change halfway down the page, mismatched fonts from copy-pasting between roles. Read it back slowly, then get someone else to read it too.
6. Sending the same CV to every job
A CV that's never been adjusted for the role reads as generic to both the ATS and the person reading it. You don't need to rewrite it from scratch each time, but your profile, the order of your bullets, and the language you use should reflect the advert in front of you. Mirror the terms the employer actually uses — for the software they name and the skills they list.
7. The wrong length
Too short and you look thin on relevant experience; too long and the important points get lost in the padding. Two pages is the UK standard for most professionals. If you're well over that, the fix usually isn't cutting content at random — it's cutting the duties, the old roles, and the generic filler, and keeping the outcomes.
8. Handling gaps badly — or not at all
A gap in your history isn't automatically a problem, but an unexplained one invites the reader to assume the worst. A short, honest line is usually enough — caring responsibilities, redundancy, further study, a career break. You don't owe anyone a long explanation, but leaving a visible hole with nothing said tends to raise more questions than it answers.
9. Buzzwords instead of evidence
"Dynamic", "synergy", "go-getter" and "results-driven" have been drained of meaning by overuse. They don't cost you marks directly, but every line spent on them is a line not spent on evidence. Replace the adjective with the proof: don't say you're results-driven, show the result.
10. Missing the keywords the ATS is looking for
Many applications are filtered — automatically or by a first-pass human skim — against the specific skills and terms in the job advert. If your CV never uses the words the employer is searching for, even genuine, relevant experience can get passed over. Read the advert closely and make sure the key skills and tools it names appear in your CV, in plain language, where they're true.
Common questions
What is the most common CV mistake?
Listing duties instead of outcomes — describing what the job involved rather than what you actually achieved. A recruiter can guess the duties of a job title; they can't guess your results, so leaving them out is the single most costly mistake.
Can CV formatting really break an ATS?
Yes. Tables, text boxes, columns, and headers or footers containing your contact details can all be parsed incorrectly or dropped entirely by applicant tracking systems, sometimes stripping your name or work history from what the recruiter sees.
Should I send the same CV to every job?
No. A generic, untailored CV is a common reason strong candidates get rejected. Adjust your profile, reorder your bullets and mirror the language of each job advert so both the ATS and the recruiter see a clear match.