Is your CV letting you down? – my key tips

If you are looking for your next opportunity, now is the best time to be working on your CV. You need to make sure that you are putting your best foot forward and maximizing your opportunity for that meeting/interview you really want.

I always recommend that you should always assume that any employer is going to be looking at your CV along with 20 others. They are remarkably busy, so why will your CV stand out and why will they want to meet you?

Here is my advice and best tips to ready and update your CV.

• No more than 3 pages maximum - start with a Brief summary, then Professional Experience and then Education. Most recent roles listed first. The first page needs to talk to the reader. Make sure your experience is going to jump out at them and hence they just have to keep reading!
• If required, rewrite your entire resume – sounds brutal however your main Achievements (focus on what you achieved in each role, how you made an impact to the business and the team) and main Responsibilities are key for each role. Its what employers are seeking however keep it brief and to the point.
• Promote your experience and work-place learning such as seminars and courses, professional qualifications.
• Ask a friend or relative to look at your CV and ask for their honest feedback. If they can see issues with it – and they are an untrained eye – then you’ll understand why a recruiter or HR manager won't give it a second look.
• Things that will see your CV binned are poor grammar (use a spell check, read it through, and read it through again) as well as poor layout (is it cluttered and unclear?)
• Use a strong clear font such as ‘Arial’ or ‘Calibri’ – don't use anything fancy. Also think about the use of bullet points as this also allows for brevity as well as highlighting key facts for the reader.

Reality these days is that most recruiters and HR managers will spend "20 seconds" looking at where you have worked, what you achieved and your main responsibilities. If its too hard to find this information, or the information is not relevant for the role then, your CV will be binned.

Finally, one size does not fit all when it comes to CVs. You need to tailor it for each application. It only needs a tweak, but it is a ‘must do’ every time.

Remember, check it, check it and check it again before pressing send!

If you are currently looking to recruit for your organisation or are interested in current market opportunities, contact me on [email protected]