Time to whip out those Microsoft Word skills and get back to basics with ensuring that your CV is nailing your chances of securing that dream role.
At present, we are experience the highest number of applications per role that we have seen in quite some time.
So to ensure that you're at the top of the recruiters call list, give your CV some TLC and a little spring (or perhaps, deep!) clean with my insider tips below.
Keep it simple, keep it concise, keep it relevant!
Follow the below structure and you'll be onto a winner...
- Name and contact details only, eg phone number, email address, suburb.
- Brief professional summary – Introduce yourself and summarise your experience in a few sentences.
- Highlight your professional history and tailor as necessary to the role you're applying to.
- Bullet point key skills and make them relevant for the role. For example, if you are applying for a role that requires advanced Excel, make sure you put that bullet point right near the top.
- Focus on the skills that you believe the job will require and relate them to your experience.
- Conduct an audit and take out any skills that would not be relevant. For example, if you have previously worked in hospitality and are applying for administration roles, remove skills such ‘cash handling’ etc.
Always be thinking about what employer is looking to hire, and show how your skill set matches what they are seeking.
- Date, qualification, institution - simple
- Ensure you include the months and not just years that you worked in each role. For example, 2021-2022 could be 1 month if you were there from Dec 21 - Jan 22, or almost 24 months if you worked from Jan 21 - Dec 22. Showcase the true amount of time that you were with each employer.
- Bullet point each skill and give it some depth! For example stating ‘Diary Management’, whilst it is a standard skill, looks very bland on paper. Bring it to life and expand with more detail, eg ‘Diary management of four senior executives across multiple time zones’.
- Don't write in long-winded paragraphs - they are hard to read!
- Try to keep it to no more than 10 bullet points on your major duties and responsibilities for each role.
- Keep it tailored to the role you are applying for. If you are applying for an Office Management role and your last position involved a lot of marketing – put the marketing skills near the bottom. They are still important skills that could bring value to a role however, they may not be top of the list for the employer.
- Keep it clean, use a clear font and put all your titles in bold.
- Make sure the line spacing is even – this shows your attention to detail.
- Ensure the dates of your positions stated on your CV match on your LinkedIn profile - this first place a future employer will look for you and if they don't match, they'll ask questions and it also demonstrates a lack of ATD.
- Adding hobbies and interests is completely optional, this is not something that would be a deciding factor with an recruiter. A recruiter will find out more about your interests and passions at the interview stage. If you do choose to include this, put it right at the very bottom.
- Cover letters should be short, sharp and concise – they are scanned over, however, still try and inject some of your personality (professionally).
- Avoid images, you may include a small picture of yourself on your resume however, keep it professional – no wine glasses in hand!
- Download a resume template online (hello Canva) and showcase your creative side with an attractive yet simple design.
- Ensure you cover all breaks in employment – eg if you took a 3-month career break that’s ok, just ensure you list it eg April 2019 – June 2019 – Career break and extended travel.
- Triple check spelling, grammar, phone numbers – you would be shocked at how many people make small errors without realising.
There you have it! A simple recipe to ensure your CV is fighting fit in this current market.
If you need an extra set of eyes over your new and (and likely fabulous) changes, feel free to email me and I'll be in touch with my feedback - [email protected]
