Last month was really tough for our HR-manager, because she was looking for a new designer to join our team. What we noticed about this process is that the search would have been faster, if some candidates hadn’t been making mistakes in their CV.
They are not about the general view or design, in grammar or something like that, so do not think that we exaggerate the situation. We can also say we have already found new specialists, and now our team is bigger and happier))).
Now, it’s time to help you! We‘ve decided to tell about some awful mistakes in resume and portfolio that can cost any candidate a chance to be invited for an interview.
If you are looking for a new job or just want to know how to make your CV and portfolio better, read the next four points – this won’t take a lot of your time but can be really useful.
First mistake: when a missing thing decides everything
Turn on your fantasy for a minute, please, and imagine:
The HR manager opens a letter with a CV or portfolio in .pdf format. She looks, scrolls become smiling and really likes what she sees. Then she checks a FB page, other links, and sees the link to your portfolio in the section WORKS.
Ta-dam, this is the special moment – now the HR manager can check and see how cool you are.
But…it’s not a hyperlink. It’s not clickable. She wonders – what the heck? She tries to copy, but it doesn’t work.
How do you think she feels? Hmmm. In most of the cases, it is a disappointment, you know. Maybe, if she is so kind, she will try to type manually that loooong link with “GGhh-deofgkjthjbl.com” letters and numbers to see your works.
Or not. And it’s the most common situation. She already has 10-20-100 portfolios, so why to worry about yours?
Conclusion: This small bug can destroy everything.
So, what should you do? Be attentive and always check the links. Better twice before sending. That’s all.
Second mistake: not taking care of your portfolio
The big problem of a portfolio is when you just don’t have it 🙂 Seriously, when you are sending a CV to take the position of a web designer, you must have some previous works.
Are you a young and beautiful Junior? It is okay, but if you’ve never had a commercial experience, you can create a project for your friends or just an example for a portfolio.
I mean why not? It is really worth it. You don’t need to make something extra special, just the project that will show your skills, sense of taste and understanding of the principles of design.
Now let’s see another side of this situation.
But there is another problem – when you think that something is better than nothing, and you add some projects that are not good, too old or old-fashioned. If you understand that the project is not as ideal as it could be and now you work at a higher level, here’re some solutions: write about the changes that may fix the project, describe what could be done better, or just do not add it. Honestly, the last option will be best.
In case we are talking about bad projects, you have only two options – the HR won’t look at you as a candidate, or if you’ve actually made it to the interview you’ll have to explain why this work sucks, and you haven’t done anything with that.
Third mistake: a problem of not being honest
Don’t you know that it’s bad to lie? Didn’t your parents tell you that?
So why do you state in your resume that you know technologies, English as native speaker and cannot tell anything about it on the interview?
Okay, let’s talk about it. Imagine that you really want the job so much, but you see that you don’t have enough skills to take the position. What can you do with it? Be honest – write in your cover letter that you can do this and that, but don’t know some things that are required and you’re ready to learn and be taught.
Such an approach gives you better chances – you might need some time to study, but if you show your passion and persistence to get knowledge and grow, it is not a big problem. In fact, it’s more of a plus.
But don’t think that you can put in your CV the things you are not skilled in, because the good HR will see that on the interview clearly and the fact of lying will ruin your reputation.
Forth and the last mistake: absence of the attention to details
This might seem weird for you, but there are real candidates, that send CV’s without phone numbers, skype contacts, or even e-mail addresses.
What should the HR do with it? She might understand that this is just a mistake, but weird feelings stay for a while after CVs like that. Again, check everything as many times as needed before sending it.
That is all for today! You see, it’s not a big deal – there’s no need in doing extra. Just be truthful, do not forget about contacts, feel free to share your past work and say what you can and can’t do honestly. This would really help the HR manager make the right decision – inviting you to the interview.
