Nowadays, it is possible to find hundreds of online articles that describe the best way to create a Curriculum Vitae. There are a number of “miracle” tips to help you write appealing CVs, all aimed at securing that hard-to-reach job offer. At SMARTIDIOM, we consider that the most traditional models are not always the most suitable when you want to apply to a job opening at our company, mainly because they might contain a lot of irrelevant details instead of the information required. For that reason, you should pay close attention to these common mistakes that should be avoided:

1. Not mentioning your native language 

One of the most common mistakes found in many CVs is that they don’t mention the applicant’s native language. Although this might seem obvious, the truth is that this information is often not defined clearly, which makes the HR team spend additional time analysing your CV to understand what your native language is ( if in fact the information on the CV is enough to make such conclusions).

2. Not revealing the variant of your native language

Another important element is to reveal the variant of your native language. As is well-known, a particular language might have several different variants and, because of that, it’s imperative that you tell us which one is yours: for instance, if you’re a native speaker of European or Brazilian Portuguese.

3. Not pointing out the source languages you work in

Do not forget to tell us the source languages from which you translate and, if possible, also mention your degree of knowledge of each one.

4. Not mentioning your areas of expertise

Giving us your areas of expertise is very important in your curriculum. As we all know, all professionals have different areas of expertise: for instance, a medical translator does not have to be an expert in the translation of software content, since he or she might not be familiar with more technical terminology in this area. Furthermore, your area of expertise can be a way of making your CV stand out. Imagine, for instance, that you are specialized in Nuclear Engineering: this information in your CV may be paramount to getting the attention of the person who is analysing your application. If you do not show this in your CV, we will not have access to this information and will not be able to contact you on a more specific project.

5. Not listing the CAT Tools you work with

These days, most of our projects are done using Translation Software that is a great help for the work of a translator. Because of this, it is very important that you list the tools that you use. Again, we might be looking for someone with knowledge in a particular software to carry out a more specific project.

6. Not indicating the country where you live

Indicating the country where you live is essential, since by doing so you are making us aware of the time zone in which you are available to work. There are many projects that involve working in a particular time zone due, for instance, to the delivery date or time of the project. Therefore, remember that telling us the country where you live can determine whether or not you are contacted for a particular project.

7. Not mentioning the services you offer and your professional experience

This doesn’t mean that you have to describe in detail all the projects that you have participated in, but it is essential that you briefly describe your experience as a professional. You can even mention the number of years’ experience you have and highlight some of your clients or partners, in order to give your CV even more credibility, and show that others already trust your expertise as a professional.

8. Not including professional references which we can contact

In addition to the information about your professional experience, it is important that you give us some professional references that we can contact, so that we can find out more about the information you have given in your CV.

9. Not mentioning your qualifications

Don’t forget to mention your qualifications. It is important for us that you meet at least one of the following requirements:
– Having successfully obtained a University Degree in Translation;

– Having successfully obtained any other University Degree and having 2 years of full-time experience as a Translator/Reviser;

– Having 5 years of full-time experience as a Translator/Reviser, if you do not have a University Degree.

10. Not telling us your rates

Indicating your rates is something that should never be forgotten. Rates can vary greatly from professional to professional, hence they can be decisive when selecting a particular professional. We will always try to ensure the best relationship between quality of work and budget balance in our projects.

These are the mistakes that stand out most in the curricula we receive on a day-to-day basis. We know that sometimes it is difficult to put all the experience gained from years of work into such a small space, but we’ll give you some tips that can simplify this task and increase your chances of being contacted by us.

Are there other ways to highlight your CV? Do you believe in the ideal CV? What do you think makes you the right person to work with SMARTIDIOM? We will be waiting for your feedback.