Imagine you’ve found an exciting job that you want to apply for and you’ve spent all day putting together a CV. Before you press Submit, take a moment to read our guide to basic mistakes that often make the difference between being offered an interview and falling at the first hurdle…

Unclearly structured presentation

Recruiters at the major firms on the Islands are often swamped in applications from around the world. This means – even assuming your application is not screened out by automated software – they don’t have much time to devote to looking at each submission.

As a result, it’s very important that your résumé is structured properly, and is both easy to read and concise; if your CV looks like a confusing mess, you won’t get past the first screening hurdle.

Unexplained gap periods

One of the first things a recruiter does when screening a résumé is to look for gap periods. If no explanation is provided as to what went on during these periods (e.g. a sabbatical, illness or travel), the anomaly will warrant further investigation… or the employer might simply decide not to proceed at all.

Unknown personal status

Expats on the Islands need to have a work permit. If you have a significant other and you’re not married, the requirement to have a visa extends to your partner.

In a practical sense, you need to appreciate that if you are not married but have a partner who plans to accompany you, prospective employers will need to be satisfied for themselves that your partner will successfully finding a job in their own right and thus be granted a separate work visa.

The impact of this is that if your application is innately less complicated (i.e. you are single and unattached), it’s useful to volunteer this fact.

Poor quality of language

Very basic but it’s amazing how many people ignore this: Be sure to use your spell check and look for errors in grammar. If you have written that you are superb at paying ‘attention to detaile’ [sic] or have ‘great comunication skills’ [sic] you will have proved yourself wrong immediately.

References must be available on request

It’s important to state unambiguously that you can provide excellent references on request. If you’re not able to do this, it will be a futile struggle to persuade a possible employer to take a chance on hiring you, particularly in a difficult job market or where there is a great deal of competition.

On a similar note, if you are consistently rated as a Star/Strong Performer or similar in your appraisal reviews, it makes sense to highlight this in your CV.

To conclude: less than 30 seconds will be spent on average reading your résumé. This brings sharply into focus the need for a fresh and disciplined approach when you enter the job market. Your starting point is a strong CV.

See also: 5 Reasons Not to Apply… And Why They’re Wrong

If you are a lawyer or chartered accountant and interested in working in the Bermuda/Caribbean region, visit our jobs portal to see the latest vacancies. Our site also includes a downloadable All You Need to Know guide which will tell you all you need to know about living and working offshore.

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