How to write the perfect CV
A step-by-step guide to help you make the most of your skills and experience and present yourself in the best possible way to potential employers.
While looking for a new job can be tough, it's usually nothing compared to the daunting task of crafting the actual application. For many people the process begins with weeks of worry and procrastination after they find the job they want to apply for. Then days of agonising about what to say when writing the actual application and finally the last minute dash to just finish it off before the deadline. Unfortunately, all of this culminates in the applicant feeling exhausted, overwhelmed and very under-confident in their ability to land a job.
So to help you, here's some tips:
Don't make it more than two pages long. Trust me. Nobody's got the time or the inclination, no matter how interesting your past work experience might be, to read it all. So be ruthless and only put in what is relevant to the role you're applying for.
Make your dates as specific as possible (include the day, month and year), because it just takes out the hard work and makes it easier for recruiters to follow your career trajectory
BULLET POINTS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND. Seriously. When writing about each role you've undertaken, use bullet points to make simple, clean and easy-to-understand sentences. It'll not only make it easier for the recruiter to understand what you did but it'll help you to organise your thoughts and only write what is truly necessary. Which brings us to the next point.
Make your bullet points no more than one or two short sentences long.
Think about organising your information about each role. Sub-headings like skills responsibilities and achievements are a fantastic way to group bullet points under each role. Not only does it make everything you've learned, performed and achieved explicit to recruiters,interview prep that almost writes itself.
If you have a personal profile section, keep it short and sweet. Summarise yourself and mention what you're doing and what you want to do/achieve/are looking for.
Don't refer to yourself in the third person. It sounds obnoxious.
Put your name in the header section of word so it appears on every page. That way, it's easy to keep together, once it's printed out and floating around the office. Which it definitely will be.
Keep your contact details at the top. If only for the sake of the poor admin who has log everyone's details on a spreadsheet and doesn't have time to search your entire document for your contact details.
And finally, don't be afraid to personalise your CV to show your skills (but only if you want to). So for example if you're a graphics designer applying for a role within that field then go ahead and use your amazing graphics to make your CV pop.
