Many Saudi students apply for internships with a CV that looks okay on the surface but fails to get past the first screen. The mistakes are often small and easy to fix once you know what to look for. Here are seven of the most common ones and how to avoid each one.
1. Generic summary instead of a focused one. Writing "hard worker seeking an opportunity" tells the recruiter nothing specific. Replace it with your major, your target role, and two concrete strengths. For example: "Marketing student at KSU skilled in social media content and campaign analytics."
2. Missing keywords from the internship description. ATS systems and AI search tools match your CV against the job posting. If the posting mentions data analysis, teamwork, or Python and your CV does not include those words, your file may never reach a human reviewer. Read the description and add honest matching terms.
3. Projects with no measurable results. Writing "built a website" or "worked on a team project" is too vague. Add what you built, what tools you used, and what the outcome was. "Built a responsive product landing page using React and Tailwind, reducing bounce rate by 18 percent" is far stronger.
4. Formatting that breaks ATS parsing. Tables, columns, headers and footers, embedded images, and fancy fonts confuse automated screeners. Use simple headings, bullet points, and standard section names like Education, Skills, and Projects.
5. Typos and inconsistent language. A recruiter reading "atention to detail" with a typo will move on quickly. Proofread both your Arabic and English versions carefully. Use consistent verb tense and professional tone throughout.
6. No Arabic version when the employer expects it. Many Saudi companies and government training programs require or prefer Arabic. Not having an Arabic CV ready can cost you the interview even if your English CV is strong.
7. Sending the same CV to every employer without tailoring. A small edit to align your summary and keywords with each specific internship description can significantly improve your match rate. Take five minutes per application to adjust the summary, reorder skills, and add any missing relevant terms.
CV Builder helps you avoid all of these mistakes by generating a clean ATS-ready CV with proper formatting, relevant keywords, and bilingual output in Arabic and English. The price is 20 SAR one-time with no subscription.