Get your CV right!

Do you feel that your CV seems to be falling a bit flat and not impressing potential employers? One of the most important parts (if not the most important) of job hunting is being able to sell yourself to the employer. This can be quite challenging, recruiters will have many applicants for a single job and it’s your mission to make sure you stand out from the crowd. We’ve gathered a few helpful tips that you can either use when applying for jobs or perhaps ones that you never even thought of beforehand.

Firstly, lets discuss the layout of your CV.  At the top of your CV include your full name (a picture of yourself isn’t necessary), home address, email, and phone number. Then you can begin to get into the different sections. We recommend the following layout:

·       Personal Statement – a few sentences that will allow you to briefly describe yourself to the employer.

·       Work Experience – Similar to that of education list your most recent role at the top. You can then break this role into a few bullet points, briefly describing what you do and stating relevant experience which should always be backed up by evidence. You don’t need to go into detail for every single position you’ve held; you can go into detail for your current position and list below your other experience alongside the dates you worked there.

·       Education Background – Your education history should be listed, starting with the most recent at the top. For example, if you went to university after finishing school this should be listed first. List any modules relevant to the post you are applying for below.

·       Skills and Achievements – got any skills or achievements you believe would be beneficial for role you are applying to? Think: do you have any software skills, or maybe you are excellent at public speaking. Remember to always relate this to the position you are applying for.

·       Any other relevant information – This is the chance to add in any extra details, such as if you have a full, clean driving license.

Make sure you are distinguishing between the separate areas of your CV as well, it might be a good idea to have lines below each section to make it look neat, tidy, as well as drawing attention to these areas. Finally, remember to leave the crazy fonts and colours for another day and use professional looking fonts such as Arial or Calibri.

The last piece of advice we will leave you with is to always tailor your CV to the position you are applying for. Think of your current CV as a template. It might look great on paper and have everything relevant on it, but this isn’t a one model fits all. Carefully read the job description you are applying for and make sure your CV reflects these requirements.

Good luck!

‍