So, you’ve seen a job that so right for you. You really want it. Writing a CV can make you feel stressed because you want to give yourself the best chance to be heard. Especially when they say that over 100 people apply for the same vacancy
Imagine you’re the recruiter and you have all of those CVs to go through. Do you read them all?! I don’t think so. Recruiters spend approximately 6 seconds on each CV so the first impression really does count. If your CV is clear, organized and neat then you are giving yourself more of a chance of the recruiter spending more time on your CV
Here we try to give you a hand with writing your CV
Choose the CV Format
If you want to get some ideas, look on-line. You will even find some free templates to use. You can change the layout as you go along. You may find that some sections needs more space to look clearer, others less space
The CV format should include the following sections:
Keep the sections in this order
The Formatting
Keep it simple. Don’t cram loads of gimmicky graphics. Remember that CVs will be printed off in black and white so all of those graphics may make the content illegible. And whilst you may be tempted to include a photo of yourself, it’s best not to, unless it is requested. If it is requested, use a professional photo but one that’s not as stiff as an ID photo
Choose clear and legible fonts. Choosing a “fancy” font that makes it difficult for the recruiter to read will only do one thing – press the reject button. Be careful with the font size too
Be consistent with your CV layout and formatting. Choose a good margin all the way around the content. Stick to single dates formatting. You’d be surprised how many people update their CV periodically over the years without making sure that the format is consistent
Make sure your headings are slightly larger than the rest of the content. Maybe make them bold or underline them. Be careful with overuse of italics, bold and underlining
CV Header With Contact Information
Remember that recruiters will search your name on-line. If you have a Linkedin profile this should match your CV otherwise that reject button will be pressed again. Also, remember that employers are likely to search your name on-line via other social media platforms
Personal Profile
This is where in one short, snappy paragraph you tell your future employer why you are the best person for the job. So, this should really be tailored to each individual position being applied for, if possible
There can be two parts to the profile : the CV summary and the CV objective
The CV summary can highlight your career progress and achievements as well as specific skills you have and how you would fit in
The CV objective is more about why you’re applying for a post. What is it about your experience and the position that fits in with your future career objective. In your statement, try to make a connection between some experience or skills that you have already and the job you’re applying for. State that you would like to expand your sills or experience because of that connection rather than just saying that you would like to work in that industry or position
If you have relevant job experience begin your CV with a CV skill summary instead of a CV objective
Skills
If you feel that you would like to highlight certain skills that are prerequisites for the position then create this section. If you feel that your profile and work experience sections already cover this then you can leave this section out
Work Experience
More often than not your work experience section is the most important part of the whole CV. It is the section that gets the most eyetime
Try and keep this punchy and use bullet points. Each bullet point should be a brief description of each task. They should be a snapshot so that the recruiter can see your experience and skills at a glance. They don’t need paragraphs of detail for each task because these can be elaborated on at interview stage
Try and use action verbs such as “created”, “implemented”, “maintained”, “analysed” etc rather than just listing duties like
Tailor your CV to the job that you are applying for. You may need to emphasise certain skills and experience and dumb down others. Try to refer to the job description and cover any tasks from it in your CV
What if you have little or no work experience? Maybe you’re still studying or just graduated. If this is the case put your education section above your work experience. Secondly, elaborate on your academic experiences:
Education
This is as straight forward as the title: course taken, examining board, dates of study and result
Additional Sections
You can use this section to impress the recruiter, making you stand out from the crowd. This can include:
If you are including the “Key Achievements” section, think about the wording used. For example, don’t just say “significantly increased sales” but give figures. Try and mention what the problem was, the action taken and the result. For example:
Lead a project team in designing and implementing a social media relations strategy for new line of lifestyle products (the PROBLEM and the ACTION) and grew the social media fanbase by 42,000 (the RESULT)
If you’re still studying or just finished studying, don’t worry. Here are some ideas for this section:
References
Have at least two references ready. If you have worked then these should be employment referees. At this moment there’s no need to list the contact details of the referees ; you can just state “references willingly supplied on request”
When eventually providing the contact details for your referees, it is always best to provide a professional, company e-mail address and not personal e-mail addresses