10 top tips for writing your CV
If you’re looking for a job, it’s important that you have a professional CV to showcase your skills, your experience and to make you stand out from the many applicants. Ensure you create a flawless CV by following our top ten top tips.
Tailor your CV
Tailoring your CV to every role that you apply for will help to show the hirer that you are right for the job. Don’t think that a one size fits all approach will work. Research the roles you are looking to apply for and ensure the skills and experience required match your skill set and are present throughout your CV. This will reinforce the fact that you’re the right candidate for the job.
Write a strong professional profile
This is the first thing a recruiter or hirer will learn about you. Ensure it packs a punch and makes them want to read more about you
Avoid clichés
Clichés like ‘enthusiastic’ and ‘team player’ may sound like a good idea but remember, anyone can write them. Use examples and results to demonstrate that you have these skills.
Recent experience is key
When being considered for a role, your most recent work experience is the most important. Ensure you provide enough detail to describe your recent skills and experience fully. Feel free to shorten your older roles to make space.
Be truthful about gaps in employment
If you have taken a break from work at some point in your career, ensure you include it in your CV. Unexplained gaps look suspicious so set minds at ease by explaining the reasons for the breaks.
Use line breaks and bullets
Long paragraphs of text are hard to read. Make your skills and experience stand out with concise sentences and bullet points which keep the reader’s attention.
Professional email addresses only
Ensure everything about you reflects your professionalism. Make sure you use a professional email address. If you have one from your school days, it’s probably best to create a new one for job hunting purposes.
Save your CV with a professional name
You’ve done the hard part, so don’t let yourself down by saving the file with a sloppy name. Your name followed by CV will suffice.
Proofread, proofread, proofread
This is our favourite tip and probably one of the most overlooked. Don’t throw all your hard work away by submitting a CV littered with simple mistakes. Proofread your CV at least twice before submitting and if possible, get others to do the same.
Regularly update
The more experienced you become in your profession, the more skill sets you develop. Adding skill sets and achievements as you go is a great way to ensure your CV stays up to date and consistently details the key highlights of your career so far. It’s a lot easier than trying to look back at years gone by.
Now you know how to write a professional CV, put it to good use and apply for one of our many vacancies.
