10 Common NZ CV Mistakes — And How to Fix Them

Most NZ CVs that fail to generate callbacks share the same underlying problems. Here are the 10 most common — and exactly how to fix each one.

1. US English Spelling

Problem: colour becomes color, organise becomes organize, centre becomes center. Fix: Set Word's proofing language to English (New Zealand) and run a full spell check before submitting.

2. Starting the Cover Letter with "I Am Writing to Express My Interest"

Problem: This opening is immediately recognisable as generic and is skipped by most recruiters. Fix: Lead with your strongest point of fit. "Five years managing infrastructure for a GMP manufacturer makes me a strong candidate for this role."

3. Job Descriptions Instead of Achievements

Problem: "Responsible for managing the team" tells the employer nothing differentiating. Fix: "Led a team of 9 support staff, achieving a 94% customer satisfaction score and reducing resolution time from 4 days to 1.2 days."

4. Two-Column Layout

Problem: ATS systems scramble or discard content from two-column CVs. Fix: Single column only, always.

5. Generic Professional Summary

Problem: A summary that could apply to any employer in any role. Fix: Rewrite it for every application. Reference the specific role title and the employer's top 2 requirements.

6. No Skills Section

Problem: Without a skills section, ATS keyword matching is much weaker. Fix: Add a 10–12 word skills list immediately after your professional summary, pulling language from the job description.

7. Including a Photo

Problem: Photos are not standard in NZ and can break ATS parsing. Fix: Remove the photo.

8. Dates in Wrong Format

Problem: "January 2021 to June 2023" is inconsistent and harder to scan. Fix: Use MM/YYYY consistently throughout: 01/2021 – 06/2023.

9. Too Many Pages

Problem: A 5-page CV for a 10-year career signals poor editing judgement. Fix: 2–3 pages for experienced professionals. Cut early career roles to a single line each if they are more than 10 years ago.

10. References Not Ready

Problem: Writing "references available on request" then scrambling to line them up when called. Fix: Brief your referees before you apply. They should be expecting contact and know which role you applied for.