Writing A Winning CV (Curriculum Vitae)
Your
CV or curriculum vitae is a powerful document. It’s not just an edited version of your job history thus far, it can also make all the difference between getting a job interview… or being cast onto the reject pile.
Most people don’t keep their CV up to date. Even when a person starts a new job search, their CV is only updated and not tailored towards the job they are looking for.
Here are some pointers to help you
create a CV that gets you through the door and into an interview.
Appearance is everythingMake sure your CV is easily readable. That might sound obvious, but when an employer is faced with a pile of CVs they will naturally pay more attention to the ones where each section is broken down into easy to read bite sized chunks of text.
The following tips will help you to avoid the curse of the long paragraphs:
• Use bullet points wherever possible
• Summarise instead of going into too much detail
• Don’t be afraid of having white space – it makes the CV easy on the eye
• Be economical with words – your CV shouldn’t be any more than two pages long
Make it relevantA
tailored professional CV (curriculum vitae) is generally much better received than standard ones. They show that the applicant has read and understood what the job role requires, and have tailored their CV to highlight the relevant skills and aptitudes that they have.
Many recruiters have said that
non-targeted CVs are the biggest problem among all those they receive. So if you make sure yours is targeted to the job you are applying for, you will already be ahead of much of the competition.
Include positive languageSteer clear of words such as can’t, won’t, didn’t, and so on. Turn every negative statement into a positive one. This applies to your reasons for leaving previous jobs as well. Rather than stating you left a job because you were bored, say you left to seek new and fresh challenges. This presents you in a good light.
Account for any gaps in your career historyA gap which isn’t explained is like a red flag to an employer. If you don’t explain them on your CV, they could prevent you from reaching the interview stage. The golden rule is this - if in doubt be honest. If you aren’t and you get found out, you’ll lose the job if they have already offered it to you.
