Make your CV shine

In today’s competitive job market, the one tool that will make you stand out from other jobseekers is your CV. It is the most important document you can have; it is your sales tool charting your job history, experience and qualifications - and it is crucial you get it right.

Together with a good reference from a recruitment consultant, it will help open doors for you and ideally win you the interview that will set you on the way to your dream job.

Creating an impression - Presentation:

The look and feel of a CV is important. Keep it simple - go for plain white or cream paper that is good quality (100 gsm weight), A4 paper. Choose a clear typeface and don’t be tempted to go for anything other than black ink.

Avoid spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, alterations or changes at all costs. Never cross out a mistake - always print out a clean copy and spell check, spell check.

The way you present your CV is a reflection of how you present yourself and prospective employers will be put off by poor presentation and incorrect spellings and typos.

What makes a good CV?

Quite simply it is one that gets you an interview for the job you want. Your aim is to look like you can do the job. You need to know what to put in it, what to leave out and how to highlight your skills, experience and education to the best advantage.

Imagine for a second you are an employer who has 150 CV's on your desk from which you have to choose just a handful for interview. What are you looking for? How do you decide? Can the employer see the key points at a glance or do they have to search for the relevant information? 

Is the document free of qualifying words such as fairly, usually and hopefully? Is it well presented, smart and professional looking, stay away from passive words and highlight achievements?As an applicant your CV should demonstrate:

• The specific skills needed for the job;
• The right sort of experience;
• The right personal qualities;
• An understanding of the specific requirements of the job

But, you must also keep it simple, it should be:

- short and concise - ideally no more than two pages of A4 paper, latitude if you have experience;

- clear - typewritten and laid out with wide margins, section headings and information in logical order;

- relevant - address the employers main question: can you do the job?

Choosing your words

Take care with the language you use because words convey more than their literal meaning. This is easy to do when describing yourself but harder when describing your achievements.

Positive Characteristics

The following words are examples of words that can be used to describe personal characteristics that are generally seen as positive and useful in the workplace.

Adaptable, Efficient, Motivated, Responsible, Trustworthy, Accurate, Confident, Decisive, Hard-working, Innovative. You should choose these or similar adjectives that best describe your attributes.

Positive Words

Here are some examples of positive, active words that you can use to describe your responsibilities and achievements: Achieved, Broadened, Demonstrated, Generated, Negotiated, Shaped, Planned, Managed and Represented.

Describing Strengths

Instead of saying “I am good at” when describing the strengths, you could say: ?Skilled at?...or ?Adept at? or ?with the ability? to or ?An expert in?...

Abilities

Employers are looking for people who can:

- Increase - profits, turnover, sales and efficiency

- Decrease - sales turnover, risks, time taken, problems and waste

- Improve - competitive advantage, appearance, information flow, performance

Overcoming common problems:

My CV is too long:

Highlight the skills most relevant to the job you are applying for. Detail your most recent experience and summarise everything else – your recent activities are more interesting to an employer than what you did years ago.

Gaps between jobs:

If the gaps include voluntary work, training or relevant experience – travel for example, put these down as part of your skills, qualification and experience

Lack of qualifications:

Concentrate on what you do have. Emphasise your practical skills and experience; these are often as valuable to an employer as theoretical experience.

I am overqualified for the job I want

Emphasize the relevant practical skills and experience that you have for the job. Focus your attention on the Key Skills Section and choose the skills that fit the job for which you are applying.

CV Checklist

Lastly, when you have written your CV, check the following points:

• Is the layout clear?
• Do the relevant points stand out?
• Is the language clear and understandable?
• Are your skills and experience emphasised?

Ask a Viking Recruitment Consultant who specialises in your industry to check your CV as their input and objective opinion will be invaluable. Email: [email protected]  today !