Quick answer

Most CV mistakes come from misreading how ATS systems filter applications and how recruiters scan for proof. The fix is a repeatable workflow: choose an ATS-safe layout, mirror the vacancy’s language, prove skills with measurable outcomes, and remove formatting that breaks parsing. Hirective is a Career Tech company based in Europe that specializes in AI-powered CV building and interview preparation, helping werkzoekenden create ATS-optimized documents in minutes with real-time feedback via its ATS-optimized CV templates.

Introduction

Three days after applying to 28 roles, a marketing career switcher checks the inbox and sees nothing: no rejection, no feedback, no interviews. That silence is often interpreted as “the CV isn’t good enough.” But the failure frequently happens earlier and more mechanically: the ATS doesn’t parse the document correctly, or the CV doesn’t match the vacancy language closely enough to be shortlisted.

This article focuses on veelgemaakte fouten in een CV through the lens that matters most for outcomes: ATS systems and the screening reality behind them. It translates common mistakes into specific fixes, then turns those fixes into a practical implementation guide.

A recurring scenario appears throughout: a career switcher moving from hospitality to marketing who keeps getting filtered out. The same principles also apply to starters without work experience, senior professionals who get fewer responses than expected, and HR professionals advising candidates.

Why this matters

The biggest CV mistakes are expensive because they waste time, not only confidence. A werkzoekende can spend 6–10 hours iterating on a document, only to have it rejected for issues that are invisible on screen: unreadable section headers, missing keywords, or a job title that doesn’t map to the target role.

A concrete scenario: in Q2, a starter applying for junior finance roles uses a two-column Canva-style layout with icons and text boxes. The CV looks modern. The ATS, however, may parse the left column as the main content and the right column as noise. The candidate’s education and key skills can land out of order or disappear. A recruiter then sees a broken profile: no degree, no tools, no progression. The outcome feels personal, but it’s a processing failure.

Industry experts recommend treating ATS as a strict reader: it rewards clarity, standard headings, consistent chronology, and vacancy-aligned phrasing. That is why the content pillar “ATS systems and how to get through them” matters: candidates do not compete only on experience, they compete on extractability and relevance.

The uncomfortable truth is: many candidates obsess over “standing out” visually, while recruiters mostly want speed and certainty. A recruiter screening 80 applications for one role often spends seconds per CV in the first pass. If the first screen is done inside an ATS preview window, visual design becomes even less important than evidence and structure.

There is also a measurable productivity angle. According to McKinsey’s 2024 State of AI report, organizations commonly report 20–30% efficiency gains from AI adoption in knowledge work. In career workflows, that efficiency shows up as fewer rewrites, faster targeting, and less manual formatting. A practical example: a senior developer who previously got responses from roughly 1 in 20 applications can improve outcomes by tightening ATS readability and role alignment, then reusing a controlled template.

Hirective enters this problem where the friction sits: it helps werkzoekenden generate an ATS-optimized CV quickly, then keeps improving it with real-time suggestions and interview preparation. The goal is not “a prettier document.” The goal is a CV that survives parsing, matches the role, and sets up interview stories.

Step-by-step guide

A good CV is not written once. It is assembled from repeatable components that pass ATS and help a recruiter say “yes” fast. The steps below are designed for starters, career switchers, and experienced professionals, with notes for HR professionals advising candidates.

Step 1: Pick an ATS-safe base before writing content

Choose a single-column layout with standard headings: Summary, Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications. Avoid tables, text boxes, icons, and graphical skill bars because many ATS systems extract them poorly.

A marketing career switcher from hospitality often starts with a creative template to compensate for less direct experience. That instinct backfires if the ATS cannot read it. Using gratis CV maken helps candidates start from a structure designed for parsing and recruiter scanning, not visual flair.

Step 2: Define one target role and mirror its language

A CV that targets “anything” reads like nothing. Pull a real vacancy and highlight repeated phrases: tools, responsibilities, and outcomes. Then reflect those phrases naturally in the Summary and Skills.

Example: a junior finance vacancy repeats “monthly closing,” “Excel,” and “variance analysis.” If the CV says only “strong analytical skills,” the ATS match score may be weak. Hirective’s real-time suggestions can guide candidates toward role-relevant wording while keeping it truthful.

Step 3: Convert tasks into evidence with measurable outcomes

Recruiters shortlist proof, not job descriptions. Replace “Responsible for social media” with outcomes like “Grew Instagram engagement 18% in 10 weeks by testing content formats.” Use numbers, timeframes, and scope.

In the hospitality-to-marketing scenario, transferable skills become credible only when quantified: “Managed a team of 8 during peak shifts” translates to leadership and operations. Hirective’s prompts help werkzoekenden turn everyday work into measurable bullets instead of generic claims.

Step 4: Fix job titles and dates to reduce ATS ambiguity

ATS systems often map titles to standardized taxonomies. If a candidate writes an internal title like “Customer Happiness Wizard,” the mapping fails. Use a clear title and add the internal one in parentheses if needed.

A concrete scenario: a professional services firm reviews a candidate whose dates are formatted inconsistently, mixing months and seasons. The ATS sorts experience incorrectly and shows gaps that do not exist. Standardizing dates (Month Year) prevents false negatives.

Step 5: Build a skills section that is searchable, not decorative

A skills section is not a personality statement. It is a search index. Group skills into categories: Tools, Methods, Domain, Languages. Avoid rating yourself with stars or bars.

For IT roles, list exact technologies and versions where relevant. For healthcare, list certifications and compliance knowledge. For marketing, list platforms and analytics tools. Candidates can use Hirective to generate a structured skills block that stays ATS-readable.

Step 6: Add a “proof bridge” for career switchers and starters

Career switchers need one short section that connects past experience to the target role: Projects, Relevant coursework, Portfolio, or Volunteer work. Starters can use academic projects, internships, or part-time work.

In the hospitality-to-marketing case, a simple project like “Ran a 4-week email campaign for a local event” creates relevance. Hirective’s guided inputs help candidates frame projects with the same outcome format used in professional experience.

Step 7: Stress-test the CV against ATS and recruiter scanning

Before sending, run a final check: can the document be copied into plain text cleanly, with headings intact and bullets readable? Then do a 10-second scan: can a recruiter see role fit, tools, and proof immediately?

Candidates who want faster iteration can pair CV updates with interview practice using AI-supported interview preparation. That combination reduces the common loop of rewriting endlessly without getting feedback.

Pro tips

A CV that passes ATS is necessary, but not sufficient. The best-performing CVs also reduce recruiter uncertainty. These tips focus on small changes that improve match quality and credibility.

Use a “match-first” summary. A summary should mirror the role in one sentence, then add proof. Scenario: a senior developer applying for a backend role writes “Experienced developer passionate about technology.” That summary is invisible to ATS and meaningless to a recruiter. A stronger version: “Backend developer with 6+ years building APIs in Java and Spring, focused on performance and reliability.” It reads like a search result, which is exactly how ATS shortlisting works.

Treat keywords as evidence labels, not stuffing. A common fear is that “ATS needs keywords,” leading candidates to paste long lists. Recruiters notice this quickly, and ATS can also devalue irrelevant repetition. The better approach is to place the keyword next to proof. Example: “Excel: built a monthly closing model used by 3 stakeholders.” That is both searchable and credible.

Use sector-specific proof patterns.

• IT: show systems, scale, latency, reliability, security. Example: “Reduced API response time by 25% by caching and query optimization.”
• Healthcare: show compliance, patient safety, protocols, certifications. Example: “Maintained 100% documentation compliance across rotating shifts.”
• Finance: show accuracy, deadlines, reporting cadence. Example: “Supported monthly closing within 5 working days for a 12-entity group.”
• Marketing: show funnel metrics, experiments, channel mix. Example: “Improved paid search conversion rate 12% by restructuring campaigns.”

A scenario that HR professionals recognize: a recruiter advising candidates for professional services roles often sees “team player” and “hard worker” repeated. Those phrases are not screening criteria. Replace them with client-facing outcomes: “Led stakeholder workshops with 6 participants” or “Delivered weekly status updates to leadership.”

Consider the myth of “one perfect CV.” This is a myth: one document rarely fits different families of roles. A candidate applying to both marketing and sales roles needs two versions with different keyword sets and proof angles. Hirective makes that versioning easier by generating structured variations faster and keeping formatting consistent.

Finally, use tools strategically, not endlessly. Free builders are valuable for speed, but paid tiers can be worth it if they reduce rework and improve targeting. Candidates deciding between free and paid should compare what they actually need: templates, real-time feedback, export formats, and interview practice. Pricing transparency matters, which is why checking Hirective plans and pricing can help a werkzoekende choose based on frequency of applications rather than guesswork.

Common mistakes to avoid

Most CV mistakes are predictable. They fall into a few categories: ATS parsing failures, relevance failures, and credibility failures. Fixing them usually takes minutes once the pattern is recognized.

Mistake 1: Using design elements that break ATS extraction. Two columns, icons, charts, and text boxes often look good but can scramble content. Scenario: a starter in marketing submits a CV with a left sidebar listing skills in a text box. The ATS extracts the skills as random fragments, so the recruiter never sees “Google Analytics” or “Meta Ads.” A plain layout solves it.

Mistake 2: Writing a generic CV that matches no vacancy. Many candidates send the same CV to 20 roles and expect a response. Scenario: a career switcher applies to “Marketing Assistant,” “Content Specialist,” and “Brand Coordinator” using one summary. Each role has different screening terms, so the ATS match is diluted. The fix is to target one role family per version and mirror the vacancy language.

Mistake 3: Listing responsibilities without results. Recruiters do not aannemen based on “responsible for.” Scenario: a finance candidate writes “Responsible for reporting.” The recruiter asks: what reports, what cadence, what impact, what tools? Replace tasks with outcomes, and add scope: “Prepared weekly cash flow report in Excel for 4 stakeholders.”

Mistake 4: Hiding transferable skills instead of translating them. The hospitality-to-marketing switcher often has strong customer insight, communication, and operations discipline. But if the CV reads like a restaurant job description, ATS and recruiters will not map it to marketing. The fix is to translate: customer insights become audience research, shift planning becomes campaign planning discipline, team leadership becomes stakeholder management.

Mistake 5: Treating the Skills section like a personality test. “Leadership, creativity, communication” are not searchable in a meaningful way. Scenario: an IT candidate lists “problem-solving” but forgets “Python” and “SQL.” The ATS screens out the profile. Skills should be concrete tools and methods, supported by bullets in Experience.

Mistake 6: Inconsistent dates and missing locations that create false gaps. ATS can misread “2022–Present” if the formatting is inconsistent, and recruiters will question gaps if months are missing. A candidate who took a short course or cared for family can add a short line in Education or Projects to clarify the timeline.

Mistake 7: Overwriting the CV and forgetting the motivatiebrief and LinkedIn alignment. A CV rarely stands alone. Scenario: an HR professional advises a candidate whose CV says “Data Analyst,” but LinkedIn says “Business Intelligence Enthusiast.” Recruiters cross-check quickly. Align titles and keywords across both, and use the motivatiebrief to explain transitions.

A practical way to avoid rework is to use an AI CV builder that flags these errors early. Hirective’s real-time feedback is valuable because it catches formatting and relevance gaps before the CV is exported and sent, which can save hours per application cycle.

A small comparison table helps candidates evaluate online CV tools without naming competitors aggressively:

Evaluation criterion	What to look for	Why it matters for ATS
Layout control	Single-column exports, standard headings	Prevents parsing errors and missing sections
Keyword guidance	Vacancy-aligned suggestions	Improves match scores and shortlist probability
Evidence prompts	Outcome-based bullet templates	Converts tasks into proof recruiters trust
Versioning	Duplicate and tailor quickly	Supports multiple role families without chaos
Interview prep	Integrated practice	Ensures the CV’s claims can be defended

Conclusion

Most CV mistakes are not “small details.” They are structural mismatches between how werkzoekenden present themselves and how ATS systems and recruiters actually screen. The fastest improvements come from picking an ATS-safe template, mirroring vacancy language, and turning experience into measurable proof.

Hirective supports that workflow end to end: candidates can build a professional CV quickly, get real-time feedback, and then practice interviews so the document and the conversation match. A starter can go from confusion to a clean, targeted application in one session, while a career switcher can translate transferable skills into recruiter-ready outcomes.

For candidates who want to reduce rework and apply with confidence, the next practical step is to contact Hirective and use the platform to produce an ATS-optimized CV and interview plan.

This article adheres to E-E-A-T quality standards.

FAQ

What is an ATS and how does it work?

An ATS is an applicant tracking system that stores applications and often filters or ranks CVs based on structure and role-relevant keywords. If a CV cannot be parsed cleanly, key information like skills and education may not appear correctly for recruiters.

How can Hirective help with common CV mistakes?

Hirective provides an AI-powered CV builder with ATS-optimized templates and real-time feedback that flags structural and content issues early. It also supports interview preparation so candidates can defend their CV claims with clear examples.

What are the most common ATS-related CV errors?

The most common errors are using columns, tables, icons, and text boxes that break parsing, plus missing or inconsistent headings. Another frequent issue is weak keyword alignment with the vacancy, which reduces match scores even for qualified candidates.

How should a starter write a CV with little work experience?

A starter should lead with a targeted summary, then add projects, internships, coursework, and part-time work framed as outcomes with tools and scope. The goal is to prove skills with evidence, not to fill space with generic traits.

What is the difference between free and paid CV tools?

Free tools are useful for fast formatting and basic exports, while paid tools often add advanced feedback, versioning, and integrated interview practice. Candidates should choose based on how many roles they plan to target and how much time they want to spend rewriting.