5 Resume Mistakes + 11 Free Professional CV Templates

Every time you send your CV and get a refusal from your potential employers, what is the odds of refusal because of a nonprofessional resume or CV. When you meet a person, his/her appearance is what creates the first impression. CV is what makes the first impression about a person in the eyes of recruiters and potential employers.

What is the difference between a CV and a resume?

When it comes to applying to positions you are interested in, many employers ask for resumes, others ask to send CVs. What is the point? If they ask for a resume and you’ll send a CV, would it be a mistake? Is there any difference between these two documents? Yes, but not a significant one. There is a geographical difference, resume is mostly used in the USA, while CV is common in Europe. However, CVs are in the USA for applying for academic positions.

Resume is a short, usually one-page document that contains a short summary of your skills, experience and accomplishments which are relevant and might be applied to this or that position. In other words, it’s a customizable document which you adjust for each position you apply for. It’s usually a one-page summary.

CV (Curriculum Vitae) is a long summary of your education, experience, awards and certifications, hobbies and skills. As a rule, CV is a static document which consists of 2-3 pages and its content is written in chronological order. It’s not changed or customized from position to position.

Most common mistakes you should avoid in your own CV or resume

There are some common mistakes people make in their CV and resumes which sometimes cost them a job. Here are several mistakes that you should avoid if you want to be invited to an interview.

Be attentive and review your CV prior to applying it for jobs. Grammatical errors and typos are the worst sin of an applicant and a recruiter would stop reading your resume the same moment he sees the first error.
Irrelevant experience. You apply for a business analyst and mention about working as a waiter when you studied at the university. Then you mention about your experience of working as a mechanic in your dad’s body shop. Seriously? Who cares about your work experience that is not related to the position you are applying. This irrelevant information won’t help you. Include only relevant work experience and achievements.
Vague position and achievements description. Recruiters have a good scent for experts and duffers. Be as specific as possible when describing your work experience. Include both your positions and achievements on those positions.
Don’t include personal information like hobbies, religion, age etc. Your future employer doesn’t care about things that are not related to a job you are going to obtain.
Lack of social media profile links. Today, your social media profiles can tell about you more than a CV summary. If you want an employer to learn you better, just link to your social accounts. Make sure you don’t have some too personal content. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are the most used accounts included to CVs.

11 free professional CV and Resume templates to attract employers’ attention to your application

Not all of us can afford a professionally designed CV or resume. But it’s ok, there are some cool free templates which can help you create a CV in a few clicks in Photoshop, without the help of professional graphic designers. Here are 20 free downloadable CV and Resume PSD templates with a modern layout, thought-out structure and content sections and slick design.

Free Modern CV + Cover Letter PSD Template

Its modern design and one-page layout with clean icons which help easily navigate your CV quickly makes this CV template perfect for job seekers.

Free Infographic Resume PSD Template

This interactive and colorful Resume template in the format of infographic will definitely drive recruiters’ attention. It’s easy-to-customize, so it won’t take much time to replace generic texts and images using your newbie’s skills of Photoshop.

Free Timeline CV and Cover Letter Template

This clean CV template in a timeline format with stylish icons includes all the needed information, only the stuff but not the fluff.

Free Creative + Cover Letter Template

This stylish CV template and a cover letter with your work, education and other details summary on your photo background looks professional. It creates a feeling that you are put in the business article in Forbes. Please, keep in mind that you must credit ZippyPixels and use this CV template for non-commercial purposes only.

Simple Free CV Template in PSD

Enter your email and get this simple and clean CV template for free right to your inbox.

Stylish Multicolor Free Resume Template by Abdullah Al Mamun

This stylish resume template is available in several color schemes to fit your favorite colors. To get it for free, you need to enter your email.

Free Black & White Resume PSD Template

For fans of black & white style, this minimalistic CV template in PSD is a perfect solution. You need to register for a free plan in order to download it for free.

Free CV Pack Templates

This all-in-one package that includes printable A4 CV + cover letter + CV web version + business card will help you create your personal brand look. The files are available in PSD, AI, PDF and Microsoft Word formats. To unlock the downloading files, you need to click on one of the social media buttons.