As the new year plods along and you start thinking about improving your work situation, the first thing you need to consider is your CV. This is the first thing a recruiter sees when considering you for a job. It’s your ticket to getting an interview and as such, needs to be tip top to gain the attention of the employer. Here we are going to give you a few easy steps to remember when updating or writing a CV.
Spelling & Punctuation
It’s a cliché yes, but even in this day and age it’s no surprise that many CV’s come through to a recruiter’s desks riddled with spelling mistakes, poor punctuation and bad grammar. Spell checkers are good, but they won’t pick up that you’ve spelt ‘manager’ as ‘manger’. Similarly, they won’t know that you meant to write ‘effect’ instead of ‘affect’.
Whenever you have finished writing your CV, it’s always good to give it a proof read and if possible, get a friend to proof read it too.
Consistency
Keep your layout uniformed throughout. Don’t start off with everything in a size 10 font on one page but then change it to size 12 on the next. That’s not to say you can’t have different size texts. Headers and titles generally tend to have a larger font than the information that comes afterwards. The key is consistency; however you choose to layout your CV, just make sure it continues throughout the whole document.
Tailor It
When applying for jobs, it’s important to tailor your CV to the position in question. Make sure all the information contained within is relevant and accurate. Employers want to see how effective you will be at doing the job advertised so telling them about working in Dominos when you were 17 will not help you land a job as a solicitor (unless you can show how it is relevant to the job in question).
Get a friend to read it or read it again yourself the following Day
After you’ve spent hours staring at the same document repeatedly, it can be hard to notice errors on the page. A good way to spot these errors is to either get a friend to take a look or review it again yourself the following day. A fresh set of eyes will be better at spotting mistakes you have overlooked. It gives you time to step away from the project and rest your eyes. Upon returning you will be a lot more sharp and able to notice things that you had missed previously.
Personally, even after I’ve written and proof read my CV the following day, I will still always give it to a friend for the final sign off and proof read. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being certain your CV is in tip top shape.
