Getting your CV right is one of the most important aspects of job hunting.
Most employers and recruiters will only have to scan a CV for a few seconds before deciding whether it goes into the ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ pile.
If you want to create a successful CV, these top 10 tips will help you to secure those all-important interviews.
It’s important to make sure your CV is concise, and it definitely should not be more than two pages (no matter how much experience you have). On average, employers spend only eight seconds looking at a CV, so a long document is unlikely to do you any favours.
To boost your application success rate, you should keep your CV short and to the point, focusing on the most important skills and qualities required for the role you are applying for. You can save the additional details for your interview.
Many of us are guilty of having sent out the same CV to lots of employers. While this may appear to save time, it’s not helping your success rate.
You should absolutely take the time to tailor your CV to every single role you apply for. Use the job advert to pinpoint exactly what the employer is looking for and make sure your CV demonstrates that you tick all of their boxes.
The personal profile section of your CV may actually be the most important part of the entire document. It gives you an opportunity to tell the employer exactly why you are the right person for them.
A strong personal profile will hook whoever is reading your CV, ensuring that they read the rest of it and that they remember you.
Leaving unclear gaps in your CV will make employers suspicious and could damage your chances of getting to the next stage. While you may worry that a period out of work will look bad, you should be able to put a positive spin on it.
Being unemployed usually means that you have plenty of free time on your hands so employers will want to know what you have gained from that time off work.
You may also like: How to Address Employment Gaps on Your CV
Every time something significant happens in your career, it’s good practice to add it to your CV. If you wait until you want a new job or are unemployed to update your CV, you may well forget about adding important achievements.
Put simply, mistakes on your CV make you look bad. Employers do look for them and with such high application volumes at the moment, you don’t want to give them an excuse to dismiss yours.
Errors suggest either that you lack attention to detail or haven’t put much effort into your application. To ensure your CV is perfect, use a spellchecker and ask a friend or family member to proofread it too.
Lying on your CV, or at any point in the recruitment process, is a big no-no! You could end up in trouble when the employer checks your background and references. The last thing you’d want is to start a new job only to be let go for lying on your application.
Employers will be much more impressed by your achievements if you can back them up with concrete figures. Don’t just tell them you increased sales in your last role, say that you increased sales by 60% over a period of six months.
Including facts and figures can demonstrate that you have the skills required for the role you are applying for and that you are successful.
Getting your CV format right is crucial if you want to make it attractive and easy to read. Keep your sentences short and use bullet points when talking about your previous role responsibilities. If you’re applying for a more creative position, you may want to be more creative with your CV.
When you upload your CV to a job site like CV-Library, you can allow recruiters to find and approach you about relevant roles. Recruiters use job titles and job buzzwords to find relevant candidates for their positions.
To ensure you have the right keywords in your CV, you should consider the job titles you are interested in and the skills required for these types of roles. If you can weave these into your CV, you will have a much better chance of being approached about the right opportunities for you.
