Even with strong experience, small mistakes on your CV can get you rejected before you reach the interview. Recruiters read a lot of CVs every day, and a typo, a cluttered layout or content that doesn't match the job ad can be enough for a CV to be set aside. The good news is that almost all of these mistakes can be avoided with a careful check before you send.
Short answer: The most common CV mistakes are a CV that's too long, sending the same CV to every job, typos, listing duties instead of results, unprofessional contact details, a cluttered design, out-of-date information, unnecessary personal details, unexplained gaps and listing references without asking them first. Below you'll find wrong and right examples for each.
1. Making your CV too long
Recruiters don't read every detail; the important information needs to stand out quickly.
- Wrong: A three-page CV full of part-time jobs from ten years ago, school details and every course you've ever taken.
- Right: One page for graduates and up to five years' experience; two pages at most for more experienced candidates. Old and irrelevant roles are cut to one line or removed.
2. Sending the same CV to every job
- Wrong: Applying for a marketing specialist role and a sales representative role with the same summary and bullet points.
- Right: Identifying the key skills in each ad and adjusting your summary and most relevant bullet points for that role.
This matters especially for companies that use screening software; see How to write an ATS-friendly CV for details.
3. Typos and grammar mistakes
A typo suggests carelessness, especially on a CV that claims attention to detail.
- Wrong: "Detail-oriented graduate with strong skils in Microsoft Ofice."
- Right: "Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)." Spell product and brand names correctly, read your CV aloud and ask someone else to check it.
4. Listing job titles but not what you did
- Wrong: "Sales Representative, ABC Trading, 2022–2025" with nothing underneath.
- Right: Bullet points under the title describing what you did and the results: "Managed accounts for 40 corporate clients in my region; grew annual sales by 15% through new client acquisition."
5. Unprofessional contact details
- Wrong: An email address like "partyanimal_93@…", a phone number that doesn't work or an out-of-date LinkedIn link.
- Right: A simple email address with your first and last name, a phone number you answer and an up-to-date LinkedIn profile.
6. A cluttered, confusing design
- Wrong: Several fonts, lots of colours, cramped text and a different date format in every section.
- Right: One readable font, one accent colour, enough white space, and headings and dates formatted the same way in every section.
7. Not keeping your CV up to date
- Wrong: Showing a company you've left as "present", or leaving out the last two years of experience.
- Right: Updating your CV after every new job, project or certificate, so there's no rush when an opportunity comes up.
8. Sharing unnecessary personal details
- Wrong: Your national insurance or social security number, full home address, or detailed health information.
- Right: Name, phone, email and city are enough. If an employer needs more, they'll ask later in the hiring process. Keeping identifiers off your CV also reduces the risk of your personal data being misused.
9. Unexplained gaps
- Wrong: Leaving a one-year gap between jobs with no explanation, or trying to blur the dates.
- Right: Adding courses, projects or volunteering from that time, and being ready with a short, honest explanation in the interview: "I had family responsibilities during that period, and I also completed a project management certificate."
10. Listing references without asking
- Wrong: Naming a former manager as a reference without telling them; when they're called, they may be caught off guard or struggle to remember you.
- Right: Asking permission first and letting them know which role you've applied for. To save space, you can also write "References available on request".
Also watch out for: false information
Giving untrue information about degrees, job titles, language levels or employment dates can come to light during or after hiring and have serious consequences. Make sure you can explain, and if necessary prove, everything on your CV.
Final check before you send
- Any typos? Have you read it aloud?
- Is the CV tailored to this ad?
- Does every role have results-focused bullet points?
- Are your contact details correct and professional?
- Is the design consistent and simple?
- Any unnecessary personal details?
- Is it saved as a PDF with a clear name such as "First_Last_CV.pdf"?
For which sections a CV needs and how to write each one, see How to write an effective CV.
Preventing these mistakes from the start
BUDDA CV lets you move step by step, so you build an organised CV without getting confused about what goes where. The templates' consistent layout prevents design mistakes, and CV Analysis shows missing sections and gaps in your contact details, with suggestions marked "Critical" or "Important" so you can see what to fix before you send.
Last updated: 8 October 2026
Related guides:
With BUDDA CV, you avoid most of these mistakes and create a clean, professional CV. Fast and easy; creating your CV and downloading it as a PDF are free.
