Not Another CV Workshop........
So I have been trawling the realms of LinkedIn recently, focusing on the recruitment sector and one thing that keeps on popping up is ‘The Art of CV Writing’ or ‘How To Write A Good CV’ or ‘The Do’s and Don’ts of CV Writing’ or even worse ‘Pay us to write your CV for you’
Now I am not saying that is a wholly bad idea, however there are a few things to consider when it comes to a CV and this is all based on marketing:
"People’s moods and motivators constantly change"
This means the way you have laid out, worded or designed your CV may be of interest to someone one day, but not the next.
Or, often, what appeals to one person will not appeal to another. Think about when you go shopping with a friend or partner. If you are like me you will see a t-shirt or shirt with some fancy design up and thing ‘wow, that’s amazing, I must have that’. You hold it up to your partner for approval, they look you dead in the eye and say ‘Are you joking?? You’re not buying that’
This is the same for your CV.
Yes, there are a few rules: (just like a t-shirt must have arm holes, sleeves and a hole for your head to be classed as a T-shirt)
· Your CV should be well laid out and easy to read
· It should contain your work history (usually most recent at the top)
· It must contain up to date and accurate contact details
· It should contain your qualifications and/or areas of skill
· It should not contain anything offensive
· Don’t waffle on!
· You don’t need to disclose salary and references on a CV
The best advice I can come up with when writing a CV is show it to as many friends and family as you can, get their advice on how it looks and how it reads and be prepared to make some changes based on the advice given. What you will have done is sought a multitude of opinions and reacted to them to give yourself the best chance of not only getting your CV read, but of getting an interview.
But I am going to let you in on a little secret, a recruiter will help you write/reword your CV for you if you/they feel it needs it, or if you are struggling!
Better still, they will quite often tailor the CV (with your approval) for individual clients that you would be suitable for, as they know what their clients want to see on a CV and what format they want it in. They will also give you a copy of your CV back to you for you to use yourself!
How about that!?