The CV remains a vital part of career progression. Remember that even if you aren’t applying to a new job, maintaining a good CV is a great way to market yourself internally. Over time, keeping track of what belongs on your CV can become tough and sometimes potentially beneficial details get left out due to sheer forgetfulness.
CV’s and Rules
Now creating and maintaining the best CV possible means following a few rules. Don’t worry, these are simple rules, they won’t be difficult to stick to. These simple tips are often overlooked because of just how simple they are. Imagine the layout of your CV for example. Page 1 always has to be a real attention grabber, because some employers aren’t going to carefully dig through for the best info and details about you. They’re going to skim-read, and page one is a great place to put key achievements which would stand out to the employer. This is the type of simple thing many people overlook.
The Do’s
- Use the first page, and especially the first section, to make your biggest points for why you are perfect for this job role. This means you need to tailor your CV specifically for every employer that you send it to. This is how you increase your chance of being hired.
- List a broad range of experiences and achievements. Showing variety is a great way to impress employers and it can show you are more than just a one trick pony. List any major qualifications or experiences regardless of relevance, just keep them brief and away from the start of your CV.
- Go deep with your listings and explanations of any skills and experience you have which are relevant to the job role. These listings should be expanded on and explained. Try to highlight what benefit it brings to your job role, so your employer is clear on what you mean. This is a great way to really sell yourself to prospective employers.
- Stick to a well-established layout. This isn’t the place to try and create a fancy new artistic document. There are some differences depending on what type of job you’re applying for, so keep this in mind and make sure you understand the general outline for your field before creating a CV. For example, if you’re applying for a management position, stick to established management resume templates.
- Explain everything in depth. Don’t assume your employer understands what a position or role means; break it down for them as you would for somebody with no experience in that field.
The Don’ts
- Include any completely irrelevant content. One of the fastest ways to kill a resume is to stuff it full of useless information, so the employer loses all will to dig through it for any plus points.
- Go overboard and start exaggerating. Trying to pull the hard sell isn’t going to work here, it’s about creating an honest connection.
- Try to hide gaps or bad situations from your past. You can leave gaps and not mention these things on your CV, just remember to be honest if asked during interview. Employers don’t mind changed people who can admit their mistakes – it’s a sign of growth. They don’t much like liars though.
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