Your CV is often the very first impression you create, and it travels to places before you do—across email inboxes, recruiter dashboards, and sometimes into the hands of hiring managers. But more often than not, the mistakes we make on a CV silently push our applications to the reject pile.

Think about it: you’ve put in hours building your skills, yet a small formatting slip or a missing detail can undo it all. The most common culprit? Formatting gone wrong. Messy alignment, inconsistent fonts, or unnecessary colors make your CV look cluttered. A clean, simple structure not only looks professional but also makes it easier to read.

Spelling errors are another silent deal-breaker. One typo, and the recruiter might question your attention to detail. Similarly, improper spacing or extra-long sentences can make even strong achievements get lost in the crowd.

Then comes relevance. Adding every project, every training, or that long-forgotten summer job from years ago doesn’t help—it dilutes what really matters. Keep your CV crisp, highlight your key strengths, and arrange your work or projects in linear date formats so it’s easy to follow.

Details also matter. Missing contact information is a surprisingly common mistake, while writing your entire home address is unnecessary—just your city and locality are enough. And in today’s digital-first world, adding hyperlinked portfolio links, LinkedIn, or GitHub profiles gives recruiters direct access to your work.

Finally, never ignore the basics. If you’re printing your CV, make sure it’s legible on paper—the wrong font size or a poor printout can spoil the effort you’ve put in.

A CV isn’t just a document; it’s your personal pitch. Avoiding these common mistakes won’t just make your CV better—it’ll make you more memorable to recruiters who see hundreds of applications every day.