Your CV needs to be as perfect as possible if you want to land that interview.
Your CV is the first thing that an employer or recruiter sees and if you don’t make a good first impression, then your CV is letting you down and regardless of how many jobs you apply for on-line or in response to adverts and you will continue to struggle to reach the short-listing stage.
Your CV
Does your CV tell the best story and does it highlight your successes? Are your Skills, Knowledge and Abilities clearly listed on the CV?
It’s hard to prioritise which of these tips is the most important for your CV, however by rewriting using the advice you will instantly get better results and be more successful.
Relevance
- As a job seeker of course you want to apply for as many roles as possible, and whilst you are doing this, more often than not, you forget to tailor your CV and application form to the requirements and specification for individual jobs. It is imperative that you read the job role information and that you ensure that you make your CV relevant and unique to the job. This might mean mirroring the language, altering your positioning statement and refocusing on your keyword content. However you present your CV it must relate to the job on offer.
Format
- Be consistent with your format and presentation. Make the reader’s life easier by using white space, bold text and bullets. Use a contemporary but readable font consistently through the document. Reverse chronological is the most popular of layouts which allows the recruiter to scan the document easily. Check that your header and footers are correct and that your right hand margins are neat, ideally showing off the dates for your career and educational history easily. If your information is attractive to the eye and is easily assimilated then you automatically improve your chances of selection.
Achievements
- CVs are not just a long list of where you have worked and what your job description is. Recruiters want to understand your successes, the difference you have made to your current employer and the skills, knowledge and experience that contribute to these achievements. If you don’t write them down clearly and highlight them, then how will anyone know that you could transfer these abilities to a new role? You need to focus on your accomplishments and the added value you offer.
Remember that your CV is not a static document and that you need to refresh and amend it regularly to suit your applications.
Bear these CV tips in mind at all times, do a CV makeover for each job application to Get That Job
Your CV image courtesy of Fotolia_26793668_XS
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