Common CV Mistakes Psychology Graduates Make (And How to Fix Them)

After reviewing a wealth of CVs from psychology graduates over the last 2 years, certain patterns emerge again and again. While each person's journey is unique, there are several recurring mistakes that can significantly weaken an otherwise strong application. The good news is that these issues are entirely fixable once you know what to look for.

Undervaluing Your Placement Experience

One of the biggest patterns I notice is how psychology graduates describe their placement experiences. I see year-long placements reduced to just two lines on a CV, despite involving complex case management, data collection, and multidisciplinary teamwork. These aren't just academic exercises, they're genuine professional experiences that deserve proper recognition.

Your placement year likely involved real responsibilities, patient contact, and professional development. Don't undersell this experience by treating it as ‘just part of my degree’. Instead, treat it as the professional role it was, complete with detailed descriptions of your responsibilities, achievements, and the skills you developed.

Missing Specificity

Vague descriptions like "supported clients with mental health issues" tell employers very little about the scope of your experience. Employers want to see evidence of your capabilities through concrete examples.

Consider reframing your experience with specific details: "Managed a caseload of 5+ individuals, providing weekly sessions of low-intensity CBT and conducting regular review calls" immediately gives a clearer picture of your competence and experience level. Think about client numbers, session frequencies, assessment tools used, or outcome measures you've worked with.

Generic Summary Statements

‘Passionate about psychology and helping people’ appears on countless CVs, and while the sentiment is admirable, it doesn't differentiate you from other candidates. Every psychology graduate applying for the same role likely shares this passion.

Instead, focus on what makes your approach unique. Perhaps you're particularly interested in the intersection of trauma and neurodiversity, or you've developed expertise in working with specific client populations. What specific impact have you made in your roles that demonstrates your values in action rather than just stating them?

Hiding Your Transferable Skills

Your dissertation represents far more than just "research." You likely managed complex timelines, analysed multifaceted data sets, presented findings to academic panels, and solved methodological problems independently. These are valuable professional skills that directly translate to psychology roles, where project management, data interpretation, and independent problem-solving are essential.

The same applies to group projects, presentations, and even your ability to balance coursework with other commitments. These experiences demonstrate time management and collaboration, which are all important qualities in any psychology career.

Dismissing Non-Psychology Work Experience

Many psychology graduates feel their customer service, retail, or hospitality experience isn't relevant when applying for mental health positions. This couldn't be further from the truth, particularly if you haven't yet accumulated extensive clinical experience.

Customer service roles teach you to remain calm under pressure, communicate effectively with distressed individuals, and adapt your approach to different personality types. Retail experience often involves problem-solving, working as part of a team, and managing multiple tasks simultaneously. These are fundamental skills in any psychology role.

Burying Relevant Volunteer Work

Mental health charity work, crisis helpline experience, or befriending services are incredibly relevant to psychology applications, yet many people relegate this experience to a separate "Volunteering" section at the bottom of their CV.

Your CV should lead with what matters most for the role you're pursuing. If your volunteer experience with a mental health charity is more relevant than your part-time retail job, it should be prominently featured alongside your other professional experience, not hidden away as an afterthought.

Making Your Experience Work for You

The key to a strong psychology CV lies in recognizing that you likely have more relevant experience than you realise. It's about presenting your background in a way that demonstrates your readiness for the next step in your career, whether that's an Assistant Psychologist role, further training, or graduate school.

Every experience has taught you something valuable about working with people, managing responsibilities, or solving problems. The challenge is identifying these transferable skills and presenting them in a way that resonates with potential employers.

Your CV is more than a list of what you've done, it's a compelling argument for why you're the right person for the post. By avoiding these common pitfalls and thoughtfully presenting your experience, you'll be much better positioned to stand out in a competitive field.

Want a second pair of eyes on your CV? Book in a CV review with me here.