When you’re applying for an apprenticeship, it’s essential to spend some time perfecting your CV to impress recruiters.
To help you to write a high quality CV that will compel automotive companies to invite you for interview, here are some of the common mistakes to avoid:
Padding it out with lies
When you lack experience, it can be tempting to add a few bits of information that are not necessarily 100% true.
But it’s not a good idea to try and wow potential employers with skills that you don’t have. If you don’t know how to replace brakes then don’t claim to, as this could lead to an embarrassing interview situation when you’re asking to talk through the process.!
Lying about qualifications can also lead to issues as many apprenticeship recruiters will ask you to provide evidence. Employers love to hire people with passion and potential, but they’ll have no interest in employing someone that is seen to be dishonest.
Not tailoring to the company or role
Employers are looking for people that want to work for their specific company, not just any company that will take them on.
Showing that you’ve done your research about the company or talking about what it is that makes you so keen to work for them specifically is sure to help you stand out from other applicants.
This might be their history in training high quality automotive apprentices, an industry award they have won, or areas of work they specialise in, like vehicle restoration.
Forgetting to include hobbies and interests
When you lack experience to draw upon, include hobbies and interests to help show that you’re the right person for the job.
Any interests that are automotive related will show that you have a passion for the industry. This could be attending car shows or personal projects you have worked on, like fixing up an old bike or car. Other hobbies like sports can also make you stand out from other applicants – but ultimately, the more relevant they are to the job, the better.
Poor formatting
If you’re applying for a job in the motor industry for the first time, you won’t have had much practice in writing effective CVs, so it’s important to read up on layout and formatting.
Recruiters like to read CVs which are clearly presented in nice short sections, rather than long pages of unformatted text.
Use bullet points and bold text to highlight your important information like qualifications and skills. If recruiters can quickly scan your CV and easily pick out the key parts of information, you’ll leave a far more positive impression on them.
Failing to proofread
Another huge mistake that automotive apprentice applicants commonly make is to not proofread their CV before they send it.
It’s good idea to ask someone else to proofread your CV, as sometimes it can be hard to spot mistakes – especially if you have been working on a document for a long time. A fresh pair of eyes can often point out an error that you can quickly amend before you send.
Andrew Fennell is the founder of CV writing advice website StandOut CV – he is a former recruitment consultant and contributes careers advice to websites like Business Insider, The Guardian and FastCompany.
