We’ve all been rejected from job applications, but so rarely do we get feedback as to why.

And if we actually do, more often than not the reason we’re given sounds like a made-up excuse designed to fob us off.

Of course, if you don’t even make it to an interview, it’s extremely unlikely you’ll ever be told just what it is you’re doing wrong.

So why do hiring managers really reject us? And what are we putting on our CVs that causes our potential employers to throw them straight in the bin without even meeting us?

One anonymous hiring manager has spilled the beans to The Independent on what candidates should write in their applications to make sure they’re not immediately consigned to the no pile.

1. Cut out the vanity titles

It’s fine to say you’ve got a blog, for example, but don’t call yourself 'editor-in-chief'. If you’ve got an Etsy side hustle, there’s no need to call yourself a 'chief executive'. People have been taught to polish their CVs so much that some things just end up sounding ridiculous.

2. Keep your CV concise

There’s a reason everyone’s told to keep CVs to two sides of A4 paper – it forces you to tighten up your application so that you don’t end up telling the hiring manager all about your Year 10 tennis lessons. But there’s also a logistical reason why it’s sound – if they’re printed out, that rogue second page can easily get lost.

3. Follow the instructions given

The most basic error is not following the clear instructions on a job advert. If you’ve been asked for three ways you’d improve the role, then list them. If a request has been made in the job advert, then it’s not optional.

The 13 highest-paying jobs with less than 40 hours per week Show all 13 1 /13 The 13 highest-paying jobs with less than 40 hours per week The 13 highest-paying jobs with less than 40 hours per week 13. Postal service clerks Average hours typically worked a week: 39.32 Median earned income: $51,000 What they do: Perform any combination of tasks in a post office like receive letters and parcels; sell postage and revenue stamps, postal cards, and stamped envelopes; fill out and sell money orders; place mail in pigeon holes of mail racks or in bags; and examine mail for correct postage. Getty The 13 highest-paying jobs with less than 40 hours per week 12. Speech-language pathologists Average hours typically worked a week: 36.17 Median earned income: $54,000 What they do: Assess and treat persons with speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders. The 13 highest-paying jobs with less than 40 hours per week 11. Registered nurses Average hours typically worked a week: 37.59 Median earned income: $56,000 What they do: Assess patient health problems and needs, develop and implement nursing-care plans, and maintain medical records. The 13 highest-paying jobs with less than 40 hours per week 10. Psychologists Average hours typically worked a week: 36.75 Median earned income: $56,000 What they do: Diagnose or evaluate mental and emotional disorders of individuals through observations, interviews, and psychological tests and formulate and administer programs of treatment. The 13 highest-paying jobs with less than 40 hours per week 9. Chiropractors Average hours typically worked a week: 39.75 Median earned income: $60,000 What they do: Assess, treat, and care for patients by manipulation of spine and musculoskeletal system. The 13 highest-paying jobs with less than 40 hours per week 8. Occupational therapists Average hours typically worked a week: 36.02 Median earned income: $60,000 What they do: Provide rehabilitative treatments and procedures that help build or restore vocational, homemaking, and daily living skills. The 13 highest-paying jobs with less than 40 hours per week 7. Technical writers Average hours typically worked a week: 39.61 Median earned income: $62,000 What they do: Write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. The 13 highest-paying jobs with less than 40 hours per week 6. Physical therapists Average hours typically worked a week: 37.43 Median earned income: $63,000 What they do: Assess, plan, organise, and participate in rehabilitative programs that improve mobility, relieve pain, increase strength, and improve or correct disabling conditions resulting from disease or injury. Rex Features The 13 highest-paying jobs with less than 40 hours per week 5. Audiologists Average hours typically worked a week: 37.77 Median earned income: $64,000 What they do: Assess and treat people with hearing and related disorders. The 13 highest-paying jobs with less than 40 hours per week 4. Radiation therapists Average hours typically worked a week: 38.40 Median earned income: $70,000 What they do: Provide radiation therapy to patients as prescribed by a radiologist according to established practices and standards. The 13 highest-paying jobs with less than 40 hours per week 3. Optometrists Average hours typically worked a week: 39.03 Median earned income: $100,000 What they do: Diagnose, manage, and treat conditions and diseases of the human eye and visual system. The 13 highest-paying jobs with less than 40 hours per week 2. Pharmacists Average hours typically worked a week: 38.38 Median earned income: $102,000 What they do: Dispense drugs prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners and provide information to patients about medications and their use. The 13 highest-paying jobs with less than 40 hours per week 1. Dentists Average hours typically worked a week: 37.83 Median earned income: $130,000 What they do: Examine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums.

4. Don’t apply for loads of jobs at the same organisation

Applying for every available job at a company is a worrying sign, and easily spotted. Most application systems are web-based these days, and it’s simple to run a name search to see if someone has applied for a bunch of wildly different jobs. It doesn’t come across as passionate, it screams desperate.

5. Write fluently

Typos aren’t a big a deal as people think. We’ve all created CVs or covering letters, triple checked them, then spotted an error the moment we hit ‘send’. It can’t be helped. However, clunky, unprofessional phrasing does take the shine off an application, and to me is far worse than a stray spelling error.

6. Make your cover letter punchy