Common CV issues and FAQs

I’m submitting lots of CVs and not getting any interviews

This suggests you’re not tailoring your CV sufficiently to the roles you’re applying to. A hiring manager needs to be able to tell from the first words what specifically you are applying for, and it needs to communicate a sense of focus.

More time spent on individual CVs and applications, making sure they reflect the language and skills of the jobs you’re applying to, will give you a much better chance of getting through to the next stage.

I can’t spend so much time on each job, I need to be sending loads of CVs out every week

The best advice is to resist that temptation. The job market is much less of a numbers game than you might think.

Fewer, higher quality, targeted applications are always a better approach than sending out hundreds of the same CV to every job. This might mean that you are applying to fewer roles than others. That is OKAY and what we would advise you do.

I’m not hearing anything back from applications, not even rejections

This could be a number of things mentioned already, but consider what websites you’re applying through. Are you applying directly through a company’s recruitment portal? Are you using Indeed/Reed/Total Jobs, or LinkedIn?

It’s a good idea to keep a record of the jobs you’ve applied to and how, so you can see any patterns emerging. Are you finding that you don’t hear back from applications through specific websites? It might be a good idea not to use them and focus your efforts on more productive ones. This can also be helpful for diagnosing what’s going wrong.

I think my CV is being rejected by AI and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), I keep getting automated rejections soon after submitting my applications

If a company is using an ATS, all it will do is scan for keywords already in the job description. This is why tailoring your applications and reflecting the language of these job descriptions and the skills they are asking for is so important.

The reality is that only the largest employers use ATS systems as they are expensive, and employers have told us they are not using AI in screening applications, because it is expensive and the legal position on this is uncertain. Your CVs and applications will be reviewed by a human, and it will be them making a decision on who to interview. They will have the job description in mind when reviewing CVs, and so you need to be tailoring to the job description wherever possible.

I feel like I’m following the advice but I’m still not getting any interviews, what do I do?

If this is the case, we would recommend getting in touch and booking a CV review appointment via CareerConnect. You can do so below, and speak to one of our team of advisers about a specific CV or application; they will be more than happy to help!

Book an appointment LINK

International student CVs

As an international student you may not be familiar with how recruitment works in the UK, it may be very different from your home country. A UK CV focuses on the skills gained through your education and experience to provide evidence that you have the skills to do the job you are applying for. Find out more below:

Applying for jobs outside the UK

  • Use GoinGlobal Check the country guides to see how a CV or resume should be formatted, and what information recruiters are looking for. We can't claim to be experts in CV formats for the whole world but we can help you consider how to talk about your skills and experience for the job you are applying for.