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When I started working at Booking.com, almost twelve years ago, I’m certain that my CV was less than perfect, and my portfolio could have been better. Luckily my interviewers overlooked those minor imperfections, and a few years later I found myself reviewing resumes for hiring new designers.

During my time reviewing almost every single CV that passed across our desks, we hired some great people and interviewed many other amazing designers who weren’t quite right for us (or chose not to take up our offer). But, as anyone that has ever searched for designers will tell you, there were a lot of less-than-great applications to wade through.

Over the many years I spent reading those hundreds of CVs, I saw applicants make the same mistakes over and over again. So, for the benefit of anyone currently polishing their CV and getting ready to apply for their dream job, here are my top 20 mistakes to avoid when applying for a design job (at Booking.com or pretty much anywhere else).

1. Your application is missing one or more critical pieces.

We asked our applicants to submit a covering letter, their CV, and a link to their portfolio, but the number of people that missed out at least one of those items was staggering. Perhaps a missing cover letter can be made up for with a stellar CV and portfolio, but the broader point is an important one; if you want us to hire you to solve design problems, then you need to demonstrate that you can solve far simpler problems such as: “How do I apply for this job?”

2. Your cover letter and/or CV is in the wrong language.

We hire people from all over the world, so there is a certain amount of leeway in the quality required of your written English, but if you just attach your cover letter and/or CV in Dutch (or Spanish, or Italian, or Chinese) then that’s no use to me … and again, shows a worrying lack of attention to detail.

3. Your cover letter is nothing but pretentious hyperbole.

I don’t want to hear about how you’re “hacking your dreams while dreaming up hacks” or some similar rubbish, just give me an introduction to who you are and why you’re the right person for the job. Keep it simple, (don’t sound) stupid.

4. Too much personality.

Also, not enough personality. It’s nice if you can get a feel for the person behind the letter and CV, but if you come on too strong there’s a chance we might have formed a negative opinion of you before you even get in the door. Be yourself… but maybe not too much.

5. You are applying for the wrong job.

We have a pretty straightforward list of skills we need and experience we’re looking for — but if you have neither the skills nor the experience, it’s unlikely you’re going to get very far. Our requirements aren’t totally over the top — you won’t find demands for “15 years experience using CSS3” here — but if you’re thinking of applying for this (or any) position, first make sure your experiences match the employer’s needs.

6. Your CV is full of unnecessary skills.

If you’re applying for a job as a UX Designer, I don’t need to know that you rate yourself a 9 out of 10 on Microsoft Outlook, or 86% at Sound Design. Tailor your CV to the position for which you are applying; list the skills you know we’re looking for, plus any additional relevant ones, and leave off all your other irrelevant talents, no matter how impressive you personally find them.

Also, stop giving yourself meaningless ratings on CVs.

7. Your CV is more than 2 pages long.

There’s no need to mention every single job you’ve had since you left school, or write half a page of explanation about every position you have ever held. Put yourself in my shoes, and think about what relevant and useful information I need to know at the time I’m reviewing your application. Then just include that, please.

8. Your CV is the print version of your LinkedIn profile.

Just… stop it.

9. Your cover letter talks about yourself in the third person.

Also, just stop it.

10. You have changed jobs more frequently than every couple of years.

If you left a position after less than six months in the job, you need to explain why. In fact, why not explain why you moved on from all of your previous employers; it’s a great opportunity to demonstrate what motivates you. (It’s worth noting here, though, that there is a risk of cultural bias creeping in; as a British person, I perceive moving jobs every year or two as a bit flakey, but a Brazilian colleague told me that it in her home country it is almost expected that someone would do that. Recruiters need to be aware of their inherent biases.)

11. A poorly designed CV.

Here’s an idea: If you’re applying for a job as a designer, don’t make your CV look like a restaurant menu from the 1980s. In fact, just don’t design it at all. There’s nothing wrong with text and bullet points. Stop wasting our printer ink.

12. Your CV doesn’t tell me anything about what you did in each position.

Avoid the temptation to simply list a handful of standard ‘I was a designer’ tasks (“designed web pages, designed emails, designed marketing materials”). I want to know what you accomplished, what your greatest achievements were, what you are most proud of from your time with each company. And make it relevant! If you’re applying for a job with an international ecommerce website, you need to play up the most relevant experience from your previous roles, and background the parts that are not relevant.

13. Having a barely-used Instagram account doesn’t mean you get to claim photography as a hobby…

14. List your side projects.

Yes, I know, too much weight can be put on doing side work, and not everyone has the luxury of spare time to do them — they are by no means mandatory. But if you do have them, then talk about them — why you decided to start the project, what you learned, and what you would do differently.

15. Your portfolio site.

I’m not going to say don’t use Behance or Dribbble or some other third-party site, because sometimes it’s just easier that way. (Although don’t use Dribbble unless you’re also uploading full screenshots as well as crops.) But if you have the time and the inclination, a unique personal portfolio site can really stand out. Treat it like any other UX project, and put your customer (i.e. me) at the centre. What do I need to be able to find quickly and easily, how much information do I need to be able to make an informed decision?

16. Demonstrate your skills in your portfolio.

As in point 5 above, your portfolio should demonstrate that you possess the relevant skills and experience that we are looking for. If you’re applying for a job as a UX designer, your portfolio should not contain only illustration and animation work. If you have worked in many different fields, consider tailoring your portfolio to the audience for whom it is intended.

17. Your portfolio should represent your career.

If you’ve been in the industry for 10+ years, I expect to see more than two Behance mockups.

18. But don’t feel you have to keep work hanging around forever.

If your work from 2005 is looking pretty dated in 2018, I won’t hold it against you… but maybe it’s best to take it down anyway.

19. The best portfolios are the ones that include a write-up of each piece of work.

It gives you the opportunity to detail the project requirements, any constraints you were working under, your specific role in the project, and the results of the work. Was the client happy? Did it double their sales? Design isn’t just about making things look good, we want to hire people that understand the commercial implications of what they do. (Before you jump down my throat, I’m not suggesting that increasing sales is the primary purpose of any designer. I want to see a clear focus on the customer’s needs, above everything else, but the fact remains that if you are working for a business, you must be able to recognise and reflect on the commercial impact of your work.)

20. No online presence.

Again, you can argue that this is personal bias, and it can certainly be made up for with a standup CV and portfolio — but if you are working on the web, I expect you to be present on the web, whether that’s Twitter, Dribbble, Instagram, GitHub, StackOverflow, or wherever. If you have absolutely no digital footprint at all, I can’t help but wonder whether you actually exist…

In summary

So, to sum up, there are a few key points you should keep in mind before you hit Send and submit that dream job application:

• Read the job spec carefully, and send us what we ask for;
• Tailor your submission to your audience, including (or excluding) the perfect selection and level of detail for that specific role;
• Be yourself (but not too much);
• And explain your work, its context, and its outcomes.

By the way, in case you were wondering… yes, we are hiring! You’ll be happy to hear that I won’t be the one vetting your CV this time, though.