Why your CV gets rejected
Most CVs are rejected in under ten seconds. Not because the candidate is bad, but because the CV gives hiring managers nothing concrete to work with, especially in sales.
The mistakes are repetitive. We see them every week.
Watch the short video below (Dutch), or read along to avoid common mistakes.
Stop using buzzwords
Words like goal-oriented, team player, proactive, or entrepreneurial appear on almost every CV.
They do not differentiate you. They actively weaken your profile.
Hiring managers do not reject CVs because of missing personality traits. They reject them because they cannot assess impact.
Research from LinkedIn shows that CVs with role-specific achievements and measurable outcomes are significantly more likely to lead to interviews than those dominated by soft skills and descriptors.
If everyone is a team player, no one stands out.
Too many small side jobs create noise
This is a massive one. Listing half a dozen small jobs from when you were sixteen does not strengthen your profile, it makes it look worse.
Early experience matters, but clutter does not.
Recruiters scan for relevance and progression. A CV that looks unfocused signals uncertainty, even if that is not true.
One clear story beats six unrelated roles.
Structure beats creativity
A one-page CV is not a rule. It is a filter.
Clear layout. Logical sections. Easy scanning.
Studies on recruiter behaviour show that CVs with clean formatting and clear hierarchy are processed faster and rated more favourably, even when experience is identical. And as recruiters, we agree……
If your CV requires effort to read, it loses.
Professional photos still matter in Europe
In many European markets, including the Netherlands, a professional photo remains standard.
Not polished. Not corporate. Just professional.
An unprofessional or casual photo introduces doubt immediately. Not because of bias, but because it raises questions about judgement.
ADD METRICS(!)
This is the most important part.
Statements like:
“Closed many deals”
“Had lots of meetings”
“Worked closely with stakeholders”
mean nothing without context.
What is many?
What size deals?
What type of meetings?
What outcome?
Hiring managers think in numbers. Revenue, pipeline, deal size, conversion rates, quota attainment.
Saying “closed deals” without data forces them to guess. They will not.
Effort does not get hired. Outcomes do.
The takeaway
Your CV is not a biography. It is your chance to impress, and you have 10 seconds.
Remove generic language. Cut irrelevant noise.
Show metrics. Make it easy to understand what you actually did and how well you did it.
If a hiring manager cannot answer “how good is this person” in ten seconds, your CV is already gone.