Make your CV stand out from the crowd
Most job hunting is now done online and, like the majority of job seekers today, you should be proactively promoting yourself in this medium, both on social networking sites and adding your information to generic and industry specific job boards. Remember, nearly all employers and recruiters now regularly use these sources to search for suitable applicants.
What this does mean is that your CV really has to stand out from the crowd. You can considerably increase your chances of being contacted if your CV is clearly, concisely and positively written and highlights your achievements, skills, qualifications and experience.
Design and Layout
A CV should be no more than two to three A4 pages in length. If you have more text than that, never try to cram everything in tiny type to make it fit! Use 10, 11 or 12 pt, ensure enough white space is left to make your information easy to read and summarise wherever possible, using bullet points to ensure that information can be found quickly.
Structure
- Begin with your personal details, name, telephone number and e-mail.
- Include a short profile, which should summarise your most relevant experience and strengths, as well as the type of role and company you are looking to work for.
- Follow your profile with employment history, if applicable, then education and qualifications. Remember your current situation is the most relevant to the job you are seeking so use the chronological format, listing most recent details first.
- With employment information, don’t just list the tasks/duties you were responsible for. Instead, describe your role using positive language and be sure to highlight key achievements.
- It is important not to leave any gaps between jobs or education, so if you do have any, include a short explanation as to what you spent your time doing.
- Briefly list details of qualifications and grades, with the highest/most relevant listed first. Including a list of specific skills such as IT packages or languages and what level of knowledge you have of them is recommended
- A couple of final points:
- Listing hobbies/interests is an optional extra but keep the list to just one line
- You do not need to include references but you can mention they are available on request.
And finally…..
When you are happy with the content and layout of your CV:
- Check for spelling and grammatical mistakes.
- Ask yourself, if you were an employer, would it interest you? Does it really sell your achievements, skills and experience in the best and most positive way?
- Proof read more than once and, if possible, get someone else to check it too.
- Your SEC consultant can also give you an appraisal of your CV if you wish.
Last but not least, revise your CV whenever you gain new skills or qualifications, or significant achievements. Also you may wish to emphasise certain skills in your CV to suit individual job applications.
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