To get you going on the road to your dream job our Recruitment experts bring you these Top CV Tips to get you started:
Top CV Tips Feature
1. Let's start with the basics - how many pages should it be?
Try and step into the shoes of your potential future employer. Along with their day to day work, they're sifting through hundreds of CVs to find their ideal candidate. Do they have the time (or the patience) to read an 18-page CV describing every major and minor achievement that the candidate has ever accomplished? Answer: no. This CV has gone straight in the bin.
Handle advise that two pages is plenty and your potential future employer will thank you for your brevity.
2. Formatting - make it pleasing to the eye
There are two CVs under consideration. One is a long piece of continuous prose and the other is neatly divided into easy to read sections and subsections. Which do you think is going to catch the eye? In terms of formatting, Handle's advice is 'Keep it simple - but don't take out the detail that counts.'
Divide your experience into sections such as 'Employment History' and 'Education'. Make each a one-stop-shop about you and why you are the only person for that job. Don't use a crazy font either. No recruiter wants to read a CV written in Comic Sans.
3. What do you want to shout about?
Make sure that when your potential future employer starts reading your CV, they want to read on. 'Ensure all your key info is on the front page - education and current job' say Handle 'Whilst all your experience is relevant, it's the most recent role that your readers are most interested in.'
If the recruiter likes what they read here, they will read on. There's no point in putting your greatest achievement at the end of your CV. The reader may never get that far. Place it front and centre so they can't ignore it.
4. How do I make my experience sound impressive?
You've got their attention. Now, what? Simply telling your potential future employer that you've done work experience isn't enough. Handle say to talk about your work experience in terms of achievements - what you did, how you did it and what were the final measurable results.
Just one or two lines will do. Did you help out on a specific project? Did you come away with any accolades? The recruiter wants to know and no one else is going to shout about it for you!
5. Tailor your CV to the job description.
Finding a job can be like a full-time job in itself. A generic CV may work for some employers but if you're really serious about that dream job, you want to prove that you are the only person for that job.
Don't forget that your CV is the first time the company is going to become aware of your existence. Make sure you've read the job description thoroughly and then think about the ways in which you can highlight how your experience is relevant on your CV.
6. Spellcheck! Grammar check!
Your potential future employer is reading your CV and they are impressed. Or they would be if there weren't spelling errors in your CV and you had used apostrophes correctly. It sounds obvious, but they aren't going to believe that you're the right candidate for the job if you can't spell.
Handle stress how important it is that your CV is legible and free from spelling and grammatical errors. Take that little bit of extra time to check and double check before you press that send button. It could mean the difference between the offer of an interview and your CV going straight in the bin.
7. How do they let you know they want you?
You've done it. You've created the perfect CV. The recruiter wants to let you know the good news but there are no contact details on your CV. It seems like a really obvious thing, but make sure you include your contact details so you can be called for that interview! If they cannot contact you, then all your efforts have been for nothing.
The reality is, the real world is scary and the job market is competitive. The odds are you aren't going to walk straight into your dream job the minute you've walked off that stage at graduation. But by following this expert advice you can give yourself a fighting chance to get that foot in the door and on your way.
Tagged in Recruitment