Your CV could be your ticket in – but how do you make sure it doesn’t end up in the bin?
Here are just a few tips at how to make your CV stand out amongst the competition:
- Tailor your CV to the job role – don’t be lazy and send out generic CVs. Instead, adapt your skills and experience to the requirements laid out in the job description. You want to sell yourself on your CV, so avoid detailing irrelevant skills that wouldn’t be applicable to the position.
- List achievements, rather than duties – use active language when describing what you’ve achieved. Convey that you are a ‘doer,’ not just someone who is on the sidelines, by using assertive and positive language.
- Keep it concise – employers read dozens upon dozens of CVs, so, don’t make it any longer than 2 A4 pages. To get your experience across, bullet-point the key information, such as skills and key achievements.
- Include your USP – to stand out, find your USP, such as volunteer work, the running of a blog, extracurricular activities, etc. Ideally, they should be relevant to the job, as well as emphasise your ability and skillset.
- Avoid mistakes – grammar and spelling may seem trivial, but they can make a big difference. To an employer, it may look as though you didn’t care, put the effort in or are careless, so be careful!
On average, recruiters look at a CV for 8 seconds before deciding whether you’re the one or not, so make sure you do all you can do to stand out!