With employers getting their businesses back on track, now is the time to get your CV in order to show off your skills and make you stand out.
CVs remain the popular method for applying for jobs, so it’s important to properly craft your document in order to increase your chances of getting noticed by a hiring manager.
Your CV is a personal marketing document used to sell yourself to prospective employers. It should tell them about you, your professional history and your skills, abilities and achievements. Ultimately, it should highlight why you’re the best person for the job.
A CV is required when applying for a job. In addition to your CV, employers may also require a cover letter and a completed application form.
As you can imagine, here at Venus Recruitment, we have seen thousands of CVs and one of the biggest issues is spelling mistakes. You may be forgiven for a rogue apostrophe or odd typo when texting friends, but not in the case of job searching. First impressions count! Your potential employer won’t be as sympathetic to careless writing and it could cost you an interview.
Tips:
Check your speling sppelling speeling spelling!
Spelling mistakes on a CV shows a lack of care and attention. Use a reliable spell-checker and get someone to proofread it as well. Common CV-related errors include:
(Bread!) Roll instead of Role
Collage instead of College
Stationary instead of Stationery
Manger instead of Manager
Costumer instead of Customer
Check your grammar.
A poorly edited CV gives the impression you are careless (or struggle with your writing skills). As above, get someone to check or help you write your CV. Double check it, triple check it before sending it off to job boards to businesses.
Create a personal profile.
This is a summary that highlights your experience, key strengths and what you’re looking for in a new role. If the role requires specific qualifications, then you can list these here. If you’ve been out of the workplace for an extended time, we’d suggest you are upfront about this and include it in your profile.
Education and Qualifications.
Include relevant qualifications to the role and list your education achievements. If you have a degree level qualification there is no need to list GCSE results as well.
Have dates to support your evidence, starting with the most recent and working backwards.
We have seen too many CVs where there are no dates or time frames attached to experiences.
Include a link to your LinkedIn profile if you have one.
A simple link can direct a hiring manager to more useful information about you.
Describe your tasks and responsibilities.
Your work history contains evidence of your skills, so make sure you mention what they are. Don’t assume a mere ‘job title’ will satisfy a hiring manager.
Be thoughtful about your interests.
Reading that you like ‘travel, sports and socialising’ could be seen as too generic. Be more specific and think of those interests that are unique and make you stand out.
Keep it clear and crisp.
Use a font that is easy to read with adequate spacing and margins. Less can be more – reducing the size of your font and margins so you can cram in more information isn’t a good idea.
Keep your CV updated.
A CV is not static and nor are your experiences. Add new and relevant things to your CV so your most up-to-date self is represented.
Brief CVs are best.
Generally, a 1 to 3 page CV is preferred. A hiring manager doesn’t have time to trawl through masses of detail and text.
So – dig out your CV, dust it off and make sure you’re ready to go when that opportunity comes up.
#proofread #venusrecruitment
