What is your CV actually for you might ask? Well, for most employers it’s the thing that they look at and think yes, this person has the skills I’m looking for, I need to meet them! So your CV is the first step to getting yourself through the door of a potential employer for an interview.

On average every job that is advertised receives just over 100 applications, so that’s a lot of CVs for the recruiter or hiring manager to read. Poor presentation, bad spelling and grammar as well as wordy paragraphs of information will send you to the bottom of the pile.

A killer CV is crucial and here’s our Top Tips to make sure your CV stands out from the crowd!

Create A Professional CV

You’d think this was obvious but we still see CVs that have different fonts of different sizes and are poorly laid out.

Please don’t put your photo, use images or past company logos on your CV. Only your name needs to be at the top, your contact details can be added at the end. Saying this if you are applying for a graphic design role or a position that requires you to demonstrate your creativity you can be more liberal with the images and colours – but do your research and check out the company’s website to make sure your idea of creativity matches theirs.

Use a clean and simple font and simple headings to divide each section; you want the employer to find the information they are looking for easily, so use bullet points and keep any paragraphs short. 2 pages is ideal but 3 is absolutely fine. Remember that if your CV makes interesting reading the length of it won’t really matter. It’s your most recent roles that the reader is interested in so make sure the information on those most current positions is what you focus on and put less information about past work history that isn’t relevant.

The first part of your CV is what the recruiter will read first and so you need to pull them in and encourage them to read on by adding a punchy, tailored profile right at the top! Research the role you are applying for and tailor your profile to fit. Make sure that the first part of your CVs shows the reader that you have the skills and experience they are looking for.

Tell them how good you are! Adding achievements gives the reader proof that you are good at what you do and your potential value to their business. Things like targets you have met whether that be time or revenue based are great. You can also mention projects you have been involved in, any processes you’ve developed that have improved how the business works or even include testimonials from people or clients you have worked with.

Use A Covering Letter

If you decide to send a covering letter along with your CV keep it short and focus on what you have to offer the potential employers, don’t talk about what you are looking for from them. Highlight why you think they should read your CV rather than just repeating the information.

Need more help? Give us a call or have a read of What Type of CV Do I Need