5 top tips to make sure your CV stand out from the crowd.
With the most popular jobs receiving hundreds of applications, it’s important to make sure your CV stands out from the crowd, for all the right reasons.
Here are our 5 top tips to get your CV in shape
1. Get the basics right
Your CV is the first contact you will have with a prospective employer, so it’s important to make a good impression. A badly written CV with poor spelling and grammar will normally be dismissed.
2. Make it easy to read
Limit your CV to 2 pages where possible. The first page should outline the most important information including your personal statement, any relevant strengths and most recent experience. The second page should include other employment history and a brief education summary.
3. Grab the readers attention
Your personal statement is the first thing a recruiter sees, so it is important to sell yourself. Avoid clichés such as “results driven” and “highly motivated” as these are expected. Try to highlight what it is about you that will benefit the company.
4. Show your skills
Many CVs now are searchable using keywords, so it is important to include your skills. There are 3 types of skill; Transferable; which can be used in any role, Job-related; which is only relevant in a specific job role and Adaptive; which are proven by experience, such as personality traits. Make sure you include any relevant transferable and job related skills.
5. Employment History
This is a focus area for recruiters, as they try to match your experience with available roles. You can format this chronologically; most recent experience first, functionally; detailing relevant experience under the skill heading or a combination; listing relevant experience in chronological order and any other employment separately.
