10 Top Tips When Writing Your CV
1. Keep It Real!
Normally a CV should be no more than two pages long! Employers spend on average just 8 seconds looking at a candidates CV, and a guaranteed way of getting yourself in the NO pile is to type an essay about yourself. Keep it short and to the point and save all the little details for the interview.
2. Tailor It To You
We are all guilty of sending the same CV to loads of employers to save some time.... Stop! Take the time to read the job advert properly and change your CV to adapt to each role. Look into the company and do your research what skills the role requires. They will appreciate the effort you've made.
3. Personal Statement
Never assume an employer will see how your own experience will relate to their particular job, instead of that try and include a personal statement this will then explain why you are the best person for their job. You should always reflect this in your cover letter as well.
4. Don't Have Any Gaps
Leaving gaps on your CV immediately makes employers naturally suspicious and most of the time they won't give you the benefit of the doubt. If you have been out of work don't worry that it looks bad, try and put a positive spin on it. Whilst out of work did you participate in courses, volunteer work or develop any type of skills? If so put it on your CV and explain what you've been doing with your time.
5. Keep It Up-to-Date
Always try and keep your CV up-to-date whether you're actively seeking work or not. Whenever something significant happens career wise add it to your CV, that way you won't forget anything important.
6. No Errors
Employers will look for mistakes on your CV and this makes you look really bad. Ensure you spell check what you have written and ask somebody else to check what you have written.
7. Don't Lie
People will tell you to lie on your CV, everyone does it! Stop! Telling lies on your CV can land you in hot water when it comes to employer's reference and background checking you. You don't want to start work and then lose the job because of lies that you told on your CV. Telling lies can also back fire at the interview stage which can become very awkward.
8. The Numbers
Backing up your achievement with numbers makes selling yourself as an employee much easier. When writing work history don't tell them that you increased the company profit, tell them you increased it by 50%. Big numbers are impressive but remember step 7, don't lie.
9. Make It Look Good
Image is everything, and that also goes for your CV. Take some time to make it look nice, bullet point things and keep the sentences short and sweet. Use graphic design tricks to make the layout easy on the eyes.
10. Make It Keyword Friendly
If you've uploaded your CV to a recruitment site so employers can find you, keywords and buzzwords are important to help your CV be picked out from the search engine. Ensure you word your CV correctly to ensure that you get picked out by a prospective employer.