by Charlotte Gurney
Your CV is a vital document for the process of job applications, whether you are applying for your first position or looking to move on to something new. It includes your education, past work experience and personal achievements and should represent you in your entirety in the best possible way.
If your CV has been well crafted, then it will ensure that you stand out from the crowd, provide you the best possible chance of getting recognized by employers and get you through to the first stages of an application process. To provide an insight into how you can achieve this, the team here at Volt has provided the below tips and insights:
Make every CV bespoke - It doesn’t work to simply create a generic CV and send this to every potential employer and job role you are interested in. You need to ensure that the document you send off takes into account the needs of the employer by highlighting what your skills and experience can bring to this specific role.
Use plenty of keywords in your CV - This is particularly vital where companies are using software to filter CVs, as this will pick out certain keywords and phrases, such as those you find in the job description and on the company website.
Be truthful - It can be tempting to embellish your skills and experience, or even to invent some. However, you need to be able to prove and justify everything that is on your CV. If you’re found to have been less than truthful, this won’t establish trust with a potential employer and sets you off to a bad start before the interview process has really begun.
Use the right language - Ensure that your CV is full of powerful verbs that you’re using to describe what you’ve done and achieved. These are words that make more of an impact than regular verbs - instead of saying you ‘led’ a project, for example, you could use the verbs ‘chaired,’ ‘coordinated’ or ‘executed’ instead. It’s also important to keep your CV short - two pages maximum - and to be concise and clear with every sentence that you use.
Structure your CV effectively - Readability is going to be the most important factor for your CV. It should be a document that can be easily, and quickly, digested. The layout should make it simple for the person reading it to land on the most important information and there should be enough white space and margins so that it doesn’t feel cluttered. Stick to one font and don’t overuse underline and italics.
Choose the right type of CV - There are three main types and the right one will depend on your role and industry:
○ Chronological - This is the most common and is essentially a list of the details and description of every role in your career history.
○ Functional - If you don’t have a long, or relevant, job history this type of CV is ideal as it focuses more on the qualities and competencies that make you suited to this specific role.
○ Combined - A brief work history at the top followed by descriptions of key skills and achievements brings together the key elements of Chronological and Functional. If you’re going to use this version, then make sure that you keep it concise.
Creating a clear and informative CV that encapsulates your skills is the key to opening up all the opportunities available to you in the working world.
To find out how Volt can help support you in your next job search, please visit our ‘Website’ for more information.