What words should you avoid on your CV?

Avoid generic traits like 'hardworking,' 'detail-oriented,' 'results-driven,' and 'strong communicator.' These are unprovable claims that every candidate makes. Also avoid 'responsible for' and 'worked on,' which hide your actual contribution. Replace every line with outcomes: what changed because of you.

Should you list Microsoft Office on your CV?

No. Microsoft Office is a baseline skill that tells a hiring manager nothing about how you think. It signals 'doer,' not decision-maker. Instead, show what you built with those tools: 'Built reporting models used by leadership to track costs weekly' demonstrates far more value.

How do you make your CV stand out to hiring managers?

Apply one test to every line: could someone else in your role have written this exact sentence? If yes, rewrite it. Every line should answer 'what changed because of me?' Use the format: when something was at risk, I decided to do something specific, which resulted in a measurable outcome.

What is the biggest red flag on a CV?

Anything that could apply to anyone in your role. Zero differentiation means zero signal. Generic responsibility statements, trait lists, and vague descriptions get skipped. Hiring managers scan for proof of ownership and measurable impact. If your CV reads like a job description, it is a red flag.

10 CV Red Flags That Cost You Interviews

Q: Why does writing hardworking on your CV hurt you?

'Hardworking' signals effort, not judgment or value. Hiring managers do not reward effort. They reward outcomes under pressure. Replace it with evidence of ownership: 'Took ownership of a delayed project and delivered within 90 days' is infinitely stronger than 'hardworking team member.'

After interviewing 9,000+ people, hiring 250 executives, negotiating $30M+ in compensation, and reviewing more than 25,000 CVs, I can tell you this:

Most CVs don't fail because the person isn't good. They fail because the CV sends the wrong signals.

Here are the CV red flags that cost you interviews, and what to write instead.

This article was originally recorded as a video. You can watch the full episode on YouTube if you prefer.

Why do CVs with red flags still feel fine to the person who wrote them?

Because you are not reading your CV the way a hiring manager reads it.

You are reading it as the person who lived the career. Every line triggers a memory. You know what you meant, what you delivered, how difficult it was. The context fills in automatically. It feels clear and compelling because your brain is supplying all the information that is not actually on the page.

The hiring manager has none of that context. They read the words on the document and nothing else. When they see "responsible for managing projects," they do not think: this person clearly owned complex, multi-stakeholder delivery at pace. They think: vague. Next.

This is called the curse of knowledge. Once you know something, it becomes almost impossible to imagine not knowing it. You cannot unsee your own context. Which is why almost every professional, if asked, will say their CV is "pretty good." They are not lying. They genuinely cannot see what is missing, because the gaps are invisible to them.

The fix is to read your CV as a stranger. Someone who has never met you, knows nothing about your company, and has 6 seconds before they decide whether to keep reading or move on. Every line must earn its place based solely on the words written, without any assumed context.

If a line would not make sense to someone who had never heard of your previous employer, it needs rewriting. If a claim cannot be evidenced by something concrete in the same sentence, cut it or prove it.

Why does writing "hardworking" on your CV hurt you?

This is assumed. Everyone believes they're hardworking. Writing it on your CV signals effort, not judgment or value.

Hiring managers don't reward effort. They reward outcomes under pressure.

Instead, try one of these formats:

Took ownership of ___ when ___ was at risk
Delivered ___ despite ___
Trusted to handle ___ during ___

Instead of "Hardworking team member," write "Took ownership of a delayed project and delivered within 90 days."

Should you list Microsoft Office skills on your CV?

This is a baseline skill. It tells a hiring manager nothing about how you think. It signals "doer," not decision-maker.

These tools are the price of entry, not a differentiator.

Instead, show what you built with them:

Built ___ used by ___ to decide ___
Created reporting that changed ___
Automated / simplified ___ resulting in ___

Instead of "Proficient in Excel," write "Built reporting models used by leadership to track costs weekly."

Why is "detail-oriented" a red flag on a CV?

Accuracy is expected. Calling it out weakens your signal and suggests execution without ownership.

Senior roles assume attention to detail. What they look for is risk awareness.

Reduced errors by ___
Improved quality / compliance in ___
Flagged risks early, preventing ___

Instead of "Detail-oriented professional," write "Reduced processing errors by 30% through tighter controls."

Why should you stop writing "responsible for" on your CV?

Passive language. Avoids accountability. Hides your actual contribution.

"Responsible for" usually means: I was around.

Owned ___
Led ___
Took over ___

Instead of "Responsible for managing projects," write "Owned delivery of three concurrent projects across two regions."

What is wrong with saying "worked on" in your CV?

Vague. Low ownership. Makes your role unclear.

Hiring managers want to know what you drove, not what you touched.

Instead of "Worked on system improvements," write "Led system improvements that reduced downtime by 20%."

Why do recruiters ignore "strong communication skills" on CVs?

Overused. Unprovable. Everyone claims this.

Soft skills without evidence are ignored.

Influenced ___
Aligned ___ stakeholders
Resolved ___ conflict

Instead of "Strong communicator," write "Aligned engineering and commercial teams during a high-risk rollout."

Is "results-driven" a good thing to put on your CV?

Empty claim. No context. No proof.

Results only matter if you show what changed.

Instead of "Results-driven leader," write "Increased team output by 25% within six months."

Why does "demonstrated history of working in" weaken your CV?

Already obvious from your job titles. Adds zero signal. Sounds like filler.

This line tells a hiring manager you're padding.

Instead of "Demonstrated history of working in tech," write "Brought in during rapid growth to stabilise delivery and processes."

Should you list generic skills like leadership and strategy on your CV?

Anyone can list these. No evidence. Reads junior.

Senior CVs demonstrate skills. They don't list them.

Instead of "Strategic thinker," write "Defined a new delivery strategy that reduced cycle time by 15%."

How do you know if your CV sounds too generic?

Zero differentiation. Low signal. Easily skipped.

If someone else in your job could copy-paste it, delete it.

Replace it with this structure every time:

When ___ was at risk, I decided to ___, which resulted in ___.

Instead of "Experienced project manager," write "When delivery timelines slipped, I reset scope and priorities, delivering within deadline."

How should you audit your CV right now?

Set aside 45 minutes. Print your CV or open it in a separate window. Read it as if you have never met the person who wrote it.

Go through every line of your CV and apply one simple test: could someone else in your role have written this exact sentence?

If yes, rewrite it.

Every line on your CV should answer one question: what changed because of me?

Most CVs don't fail because the person isn't capable. They fail because the CV sends low-signal messages that hiring managers don't trust.

If your CV still relies on traits, tools, and vague responsibility statements, you're being screened out before anyone meets you.

The good news is that fixing these problems is not complicated. It does not require a professional CV writer or a complete rewrite. It requires honesty about where you have used vague language as a shortcut, and the discipline to replace it with something specific. That shift alone, applied consistently across every line, changes how a hiring manager reads you.

What do hiring managers actually look for on a CV?

The average hiring manager spends six seconds on an initial CV scan. Not six minutes. Six seconds.

In that time they are not reading. They are scanning. And they scan in a predictable pattern called the F-pattern: across the top of the document, then down the left edge, with occasional horizontal glances when something catches the eye.

What this means in practice: your name, your most recent job title, your most recent company, and the first bullet or line of your current role description carry almost all the weight in the first pass. If those four things do not signal the right level and the right type of experience, the CV goes in the no pile before they have reached your second job.

What makes a hiring manager stop and actually read?

Numbers stop the scan. A line that includes a specific figure, a percentage, a pound sign, a headcount, a timeframe. Numbers are visually distinct from prose and they signal specificity. Specificity signals credibility.

Familiar company names stop the scan. If you have worked at a recognisable business, that name does filtering work on your behalf. It tells the reader something about the calibre of environment you have operated in, before they have read a single bullet.

Titles that match the target role stop the scan. If you are applying for a Plant Manager role and your most recent title is Plant Manager, the first pass is already going in the right direction. If your title is something internal and opaque that does not translate cleanly, consider adding a clarifying descriptor.

Everything else is detail for the second read. The second read only happens if you survived the first six seconds. So before you worry about the wording of your third bullet point in a role from four years ago, make sure the top of your CV is giving the hiring manager a reason to keep going.

The bottom line

Most CVs don't fail because the person isn't capable. They fail because the CV sends low-signal messages that hiring managers don't trust. Replace traits and tools with outcomes and ownership.

What's your next step?

If you want to see exactly where your CV stands right now, try the free Six Figure CV tool. Upload your CV and get an instant score with specific fixes, built from 9,000+ executive interviews.

And if you're ready to work directly with me to land your next six-figure role, check out how we can work together.