If you’ve already completed one of our courses, or you are just about to (Business English with Spoken English has £25 off this week only!) you’re going to need a super new CV to go along with your brand new Diploma certificate. So here are five top tips for getting yours just right.
Tip One – Cover the Basics
Despite what you may have been told, there really is no right or wrong way to write a CV. There are, however, certain facts that should be included in all CVs. These are personal and contact details, educational achievements, work experience, own interests, other achievements or hobbies and references.
Tip Two – Be Short and Sweet
It’s important that you keep it to two A4 pages at most in length. Think about the poor recruiter who may have 100 CVs to look at. He’s going to want you to put all the relevant information in the most obvious place, which is, according to the experts, the upper middle area of the CV. Keep it concise and only include things that are relevant. Don’t, for instance, include the weekend waitressing job you had when you were 16 if you are now 33 and applying for a job as a graphic designer. Unless, of course, that’s the only other job you’ve had.
Tip Three – Keep it Simple
Stick to a basic font, keep it black and white and don’t over-use underlining, bold, italics or any other gimmicky things. It’s also important that you get the formatting right. Make sure your spacing and margins are consistent. Not sticking to these rules will make the CV more difficult to read, which may leave it languishing in the ‘no’ pile. If you are sending paper CVs out to people, make sure it’s on crisp, white paper. Don’t fold or crumple it; so send it in an A4 envelope.
Tip Four – Have More Than One CV
You may think that once you’re CV is done, that’s it. But that would be an error, as you really need to tailor your CV to the job you are applying for. Each CV should highlight the skills you think are most relevant to the position you are applying for. Of course, this doesn’t mean you’ve got to re-write the whole thing each time – your personal details, education and so on will remain the same. It’ll really just be the work experience and skills you’ll need to tweak.
Tip Five – Include References
You should try to include at least one reference on your CV. If you have two, that’s even better. Your references need to be people who have worked with you, people who can vouch for your skills and experience and are willing to give you a glowing reference. The best referees, if you are in work, are your current employers. If you have not had a job before you can use your teachers or tutors instead.
Right, now you’re ready to impress prospective employers with your lovely new CV. If you have any tips you think can make your CV stand out from the crowd, let me know and good luck!#
Written by Shelley Bowers
