Most CVs that get rejected don't get rejected because the candidate was unqualified. They get rejected because the CV made the candidate look less qualified than they actually are. Here are the five mistakes we see most often — and they're all fixable in an afternoon.

1. Listing Duties Instead of Outcomes

"Responsible for managing social media accounts" tells a recruiter what your job was. "Grew Instagram following from 2,000 to 18,000 in eight months" tells them what you're capable of. Every line on your CV should answer: what changed because you were there?

2. Burying the Best Line on Page Two

Recruiters skim the top third of page one before deciding whether to keep reading. If your strongest achievement is in your third job down, on the second page, most readers never see it. Structure matters as much as content.

3. Formatting That Breaks Applicant Tracking Systems

Tables, text boxes, and unusual fonts can look sharp to a human eye and be completely unreadable to the software scanning your CV before a human ever opens it. Clean, simple formatting isn't boring — it's the only kind guaranteed to actually get read.

4. A Generic Summary at the Top

"Hardworking professional seeking new opportunities" says nothing a hiring manager can use. A summary should name your specific expertise and the specific kind of role you're targeting.

5. No Tailoring Per Application

The exact same CV sent to twenty different roles is rarely optimised for any of them. Adjusting your top section and keywords to match each specific posting takes ten minutes and measurably improves response rates.