The 5 point MOT for your CV.

So, I’m 5 weeks back into the recruitment game having been away for a short while, and whilst some things have certainly changed, people are still making too many basic errors with their CV’s.

Now, please don’t think I’m about to give you every tip needed to write the perfect CV, as I don’t think this generically exists. When it comes to format, style and content it really depends on what that hiring manager likes, and what works for one doesn’t always work for another. I do think we could all take time out to give our CV an MOT, and make sure silly mistakes aren’t costing us that prized interview.

It’s worth noting at this point, that this isn’t just for those writing their first CV, in fact often the worst examples are from those candidates with plenty of experience. No matter your experience, if you have a CV, go through this short checklist and ensure you’re not making some basic errors.

So what are the key points to focus on?

1. Font – keep it simple, there’s no benefit to using a font that’s difficult to read or overly dramatic. This isn’t a dramatic work of fiction; it’s your career on a piece of paper. Calibri and Arial are good options.
2. SPAG – spelling, punctuation and grammar! If you’re not good at it then either get better or ask someone to help. It’s easy nowadays to rely on your computer to do the checking for you but knowing the differences between their and there can say a lot about you.
3. Spacing and Consistency – consistency throughout a CV is important. If you use a certain font size for your headers and put it in bold, then do this throughout. If you leave a double space between each company then be consistent and do it throughout. If you’re writing the month/year worked for each role then continue this throughout or at least for the last 5 years.
4. LinkedIn – your CV and your LinkedIn profile have to match, so if you worked for 3 years and 6 months in your last company it needs to be reflected accurately in both CV and LinkedIn.
5. Top lines – quite simply you just need to be clear. The top lines of your CV should include, who you are, where you’re from and how to get hold of you. I would also recommend profile links to professional networking sites such as LinkedIn and Google+.

I know many hiring managers and recruiters will have more points they could talk about when it comes to CV writing and it certainly can be a divisive topic. At this stage though, I would recommend everyone taking a look through their own CV and giving it the 5 point check. Its attention to detail that could be the difference between getting an interview or not.