CV For Dental Professionals: 5 Common Mistakes

Hello! Have you ever thought about what it takes to write a good CV for your next dental job? In this article we are going to look at some important mistakes which you can avoid if you want your CV to be well received by potential employers. This is especially valid in a CV for dental nurse trainee, for example, due to the nature of the job. Recruitment specialists at the Page Group have conducted a survey which reveals the most important problems in CVs. If you want to stand a chance of getting an interview, check you haven't made these innocent but fatal CV mistakes:

1. Misspellings and Typos - These are undoubtedly the worst mistakes that a candidate can make in their CV. Words like "acceptable", "definitely", "committed" and "knowledgeable" should be spelled correctly to avoid leaving bad impression. Ask someone you trust to proofread your CV before you send it off.
2. Grammatical Errors - Abbreviations, possessive pronouns, plurals -- they all account for a large percentage of mistakes which employers frown upon. Misuse of "they're", "their", "there" and "you're", "your" top the list. Claiming excellent communication skills but using worn clichés in your CV is an equally bad idea and does not set you apart from the crowd. Pick a grammatical tense and try to stay in it throughout your CV and cover letter. And lastly, if you want your CV to read as written by the Queen, with English sparkle, check out our CV Services section and how we can do this for you.
3. Missing Details of Achievements in Previous Roles - Largely disregarded by candidates and highly appreciated by employers is when one supplies a list of achievements in previous roles. Try to describe how your skills were applied in practice in your previous role and how they helped drive the business forward.
4. Lack of Professional Tone - Using terminology from the dental profession indicates that you are knowledgeable about the field. However, avoid using too much jargon as the first person to read your CV may not be an expert. Also, coming across as too laid-back in your CV or signing off with "Cheers" in email correspondence is definitely not well received by employers.
5. Missing Details of Responsibilities in Previous Jobs - Stand out from the crowd by writing details about your responsibilities in previous roles. State how you added value to the business (see #3 above). Don't worry if your CV is longer than two pages. Most candidates (around 83%) think that their CV should not be longer than 2 pages. However, only 32% of the surveyed recruitment specialists think the same. Really, it is not a problem if your CV is longer than 2 pages as size does not matter.

We all say that we learn from our mistakes. However, having those mistakes on your CV can cost you a dream dental job. Whether you are born English/British or not -- there is no excuse to send a poor quality CV. If you feel that your writing skills are not your strength -- don't worry. There is a quick and affordable way to have your CV checked or re-written in Queen's English -- try our CV Services and see how we can help improve your current CV.

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See you soon!

–The Dental Radar Team