How to fix my CV: 10 common mistakes and how to fix them

If you’re sending out applications and hearing nothing back, the problem usually isn’t you — it’s your CV. Recruiters skim each one quickly, and many employers filter applications with software before a person reads them, so small problems cost you interviews. The good news: most CVs fail for the same handful of reasons, and every one of them can be fixed in an evening.

Here are the 10 most common mistakes we see on UK CVs, what each one looks like, and exactly how to fix it.

1. Sending the same CV to every job

A generic CV forces the recruiter to work out whether you fit the role, and most won’t. It also loses out with applicant tracking systems (ATS), which compare the words in your CV with the job advert.

How to fix it: before each application, highlight the skills and requirements the advert repeats. Where they genuinely apply to you, use the same words in your personal statement, skills and experience, and move your most relevant achievements to the top of each job. Ten minutes per application is enough.

2. A personal statement that could describe anyone

“Hard-working”, “motivated” and “team player” appear on nearly every CV, so they tell the reader nothing. Your personal statement is the first thing a recruiter reads — it needs to say who you are, what you bring, and what you want, in three or four lines.

3. Listing duties instead of achievements

“Responsible for stock control” tells an employer what your job description said, not how well you did it. Each bullet point should show an action and a result.

How to fix it: start each bullet with an action verb (led, reduced, trained, resolved, organised), then add the outcome — and a number wherever you honestly can: how many customers, how much money, how much time saved, how many people trained.

4. Too long, too short, or the best bits buried

The standard in the UK is no more than two sides of A4 (one is fine for students and school leavers). Recruiters read the top half of page one most carefully, so that is where your strongest material belongs.

How to fix it: cut roles from more than 10–15 years ago down to a single line each, drop anything irrelevant to the job, and make sure your personal statement, key skills and most recent role all appear on page one.

5. Personal details UK employers don’t want

CV conventions vary by country, and many people bring habits from abroad. In the UK, leave these out:

• a photo
• date of birth or age
• marital status, children, religion or nationality
• your full home address (town or city is enough)
• National Insurance, passport or visa numbers

They take up space and can open the door to unconscious bias. If you need to show you can work in the UK, a single line such as “Full right to work in the UK” does the job — see our UK CV vs US resume guide for more.

6. A layout screening software can’t read

Designer templates look impressive, but tables, text boxes, columns, icons and graphics can scramble or disappear when an applicant tracking system reads your CV. Contact details placed in the document’s header or footer are sometimes missed entirely.

How to fix it: use a simple single-column layout, standard headings (“Work experience”, “Education”, “Skills”), a common font such as Calibri or Arial at 10–12pt, and plain bullet points. Put your name and contact details in the main body of the page.

7. A skills section full of buzzwords

“Communication”, “leadership” and “problem-solving” on their own carry little weight, and star ratings or progress bars (“Excel: 4/5”) mean nothing to a recruiter or to software.

How to fix it: list six to ten specific, checkable skills that match the job — systems, tools, licences and techniques. Then prove the softer skills through your experience bullets instead.

8. Unexplained gaps and messy dates

A gap with no explanation makes recruiters guess, and they rarely guess kindly. Inconsistent dates (“2021” in one place, “03/22” in another) look careless.

How to fix it: use month and year throughout (“Mar 2022 – Present”), and give any gap of more than a few months one honest line — for example “Career break: full-time carer for a family member (2023–2024)” or “Travelling and volunteering in South East Asia (2022)”. You don’t need to over-explain.

9. Typos, US spelling and an old email address

A single spelling mistake can be enough for some recruiters to move on, especially for roles that ask for attention to detail. UK employers also notice US spellings such as “organized” or “program”.

• Set your spell checker to English (UK) and run it.
• Read the CV out loud, or ask someone else to read it.
• Use a simple, professional email address — firstname.lastname@… rather than an old nickname.
• Check your phone number and LinkedIn link actually work.

10. The wrong file, sent the wrong way

A file called CV-final-v3-NEW.docx, or one that opens with broken formatting, undoes a lot of good work.

How to fix it: save it as a PDF unless the advert asks for Word, and name it clearly: Firstname-Lastname-CV.pdf. Open the saved file before you send it to check nothing has moved. If the job asks for a cover letter too, our guide on how to write a cover letter shows what to put in each paragraph.

Your 5-minute CV fix checklist

Before you send your next application, run through this list:

• Tailored to this job advert, using its key words where they apply to you
• A specific personal statement — no generic adjectives
• Bullet points show achievements, with numbers where you have them
• Two pages maximum, with the best material on page one
• No photo, date of birth or other personal details
• Simple single-column layout, contact details in the main body
• Specific skills, not buzzwords or star ratings
• Consistent dates, and any gaps explained in a line
• UK spelling, no typos, a professional email address
• Saved as a PDF with your name in the file name

Starting from scratch instead? Read how to write a UK CV, see a full UK CV example or, for your first job, how to write a CV with no work experience.