Your CV is kind of like your shop window when it comes to job hunting – make sure it’s ready!
In my line of work, I see hundreds of CVs each year, and I don’t edit them before sending them onto companies; it’s your job to make sure that your CV accurately represents who you are and what you have to offer. So, here are some tips to consider before sending yours to any employer.
- If you are thinking about applying for a job then you need to review your CV. If someone asks for it because an great opportunity presents itself then it’s best to have it ready. That means you need to update it to match with today’s date and you need to make sure that in adding any more details, that it stays at to two sides of A4 paper.
- Is your CV easy to read? It’s quite easy to get over excited about fonts that you love, but can the information be digested quickly and easily by the person reading it, and does it look professional? If you are applying for a job in a creative industry then by all means make it look creative but keep an eye on conveying the information clearly. Don’t try and cram War and Peace onto two pages – just include the relevant information and watch your spacing so it’s easy to read.
- It’s an old one and you’ve heard it before, but have you really checked your spelling and grammar? If you aren’t confident that it’s correct then get a friend or a relative to check. Many employers will automatically bin CVs that don’t have correct spelling and grammar so this is important.
- If you are preparing your CV for a specific role then edit it to suit what you are trying to convey. For example if you volunteer or do any kind of hobby that’s relevant to the role you are going for, then include it.
- References aren’t important at this stage – make sure you know who you might ask, but you don’t need to include them when you are just sending a CV over for the first stage of a recruitment process.
- I find that a photo actually detracts from a CV and would advise it’s probably better to leave it off. At this stage you are focusing on conveying your skills and experience.
