A successful CV should be laid out clearly, easy to follow and must be a true representation of yourself. Make use of bold and italic typefaces to separate headings from the bulk of your text.
Personal Statements:
Your CV should begin with a personal statement, outlining your skills and relevance to the role. Be careful not to ramble too much, as you want to keep the recruiter interested. This paragraph should remain simple and to the point.
Education & Qualifications:
Elaborate on the skills you mentioned previously while introducing your education and qualification details. Keep these relevant to the job you are applying for to maintain the prospective employer’s interest.
When mentioning your qualifications, ensure you give details about the subject, awarding body and year attained. It is possible that employers can check these details so it’s important to remain honest throughout.
Achievements:
When writing your CV, it is worth highlighting any achievements, whether these have been awarded by a previous employer or not. Any achievement is useful in showing an employer that you’re hardworking, willing to learn and are dedicated to bettering yourself professionally.
Work Experience:
Including work experience in your CV is vital, making sure your most recent experience is at the top while working backwards. The skills you’ve attained while working in previous establishments must be mentioned, especially if they are relevant to the job you’re applying for.
Work experience is a great way to showcase what you’ve learnt previously, in terms of knowledge and skills. It also demonstrates your willingness to learn and your ability to apply your skills to your new job role.
Each experience should include the company name, start and finish dates, your job title and bullet points of your duties while working for the company.
Reference:
Adding references to your CV is a great touch and gives your potential employer the opportunity to contact past companies you’ve worked for.
Contact Details:
Include the name, work address and contact details of a previous employer to allow those reading your CV to find out more about you as an employee. Some job seekers leave this section out but it’s useful for future employers to have all details in one place.
Layout:
A good CV layout is key. You must make sure that what you’re trying to communicate makes sense, and that each section flows into the next one. The CV must be easy to read, so as not to put off the employer and each section must be clearly labelled. Otherwise, your CV will resemble one long paragraph.
What are employers looking for?
Employers receive thousands of job applications, so it’s important to make your CV stand out from everybody else’s.
One mistake job seekers make when writing their CV is that they can sometimes make it too long. Potential employers need to remain engaged in your application, so it needs to be kept simple and to the point, all while highlighting your relevant skills and knowledge.
It’s essential to mention these skills as you need to explain to potential employers why you are the perfect candidate for the job.
Cover Letters
A cover letter is a nice touch to add before your actual CV. It gives potential employers the chance to find out a little bit about you before getting stuck into your CV.
Again, it doesn’t need to be an essay about yourself, just a quick introduction to you as a potential employee and a little bit of background information on you as an individual.
