cv advice

The difference between a good CV and a great CV can make or break your career.

It is an essential tool in your job search, usually being the first contact someone has with you. A bad CV will be in the bin in a matter of seconds and there will be no second chance.

You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.
Abraham Lincoln

10 Top Tips

1. Less is more

Your CV should be 1 or 2 pages, 3 maximum and never more. Remember you can add more information once you get to interview but long CV’s are never read, use bullet points and leave off unnecessary or repetitive detail.

2. Font

Stick to Black Times or Arial in 12pt. don’t use italics, small or fancy fonts that strain the eyes. Keep it clean with lots of white space and no tables. If you are looking for an especially creative job it is still best to have a formal CV and attach separate examples of your work.

3. Spelling

Use spell and grammar checks, check again then get someone else to check. Errors with spelling make you look stupid, slovenly and lazy – not the best first impression.

4. Dates

Check your dates and fill in the gaps, deal with any issues head on, people like to see a consistent career but if you have made mistakes, acknowledge them, learn from them and move on.

5. The Beginning

An Objective, Personal Profile or Competency Statement should start your CV. It should lay out who you are and what you want giving a feel for your personality, experience and skills. Always start with your current job after the initial profile, listing your roles in reverse order and education at the end.

6. Sell, Sell, Sell

If you don’t sell yourself no one else will. Never lie but by all means emphasis the positives and leave out the negatives. A CV is a marketing tool to sell a product – you are the product.

7. Know who you are

Don’t say that you are positive and confident if you are not. Be proud of who you are and highlight your strengths. Don’t try to be something you are not, if you get a job more suited to a different personality it won’t last.

8. 1,2,3,

It is not unusual to have a number of different CV’s in fact every single CV should be written specifically for a job. It might just be the odd tweak here or there but getting it right is so important and highlighting or emphasising different experiences or characteristics could make all the difference.

9. Sell, Make or Save

Think about what a future employer wants to know. How did you make a difference in your previous roles? Did you make money or save money or time, what did you or your team achieve. What can you bring to the table?

10. Numbers

List figures, saying you made a profit is not enough. List growth, margins and value. The number of people you helped, spoke to or dealt with.

Please contact us to find out more about how we could help your career