Top Tips for CV Writing

When writing your CV, it’s crucial that you stand out from the competition to ensure you bag yourself that dream job! You must learn how to sell yourself to potential employers and show that you’re right for the job. Here you can find all the information you need to create targeted applications with our top tips for CV writing…

Keep it concise

CVs should be short and concise, anything too long will be off putting to the recruiter and cause them to lose interest. You should provide a summary about yourself, including any experiences and achievements you’ve accomplished.

Before you start writing, you should create brief plan, to make sure you know what you’re going to include. Remember! The most important information should be placed on the first page to catch the readers eye.

All CVs differ in style and structure depending on the job you’re applying for. Therefore, you should consider the job you’re applying for, and tailor it to the specific job so that employers can see the relevant skills you have. This may increase your chance of getting an interview and standing out from the others.

Don’t overdo it

Keep it simple. That includes, no fancy fonts and especially no large text sizes over 11 or 12! This will immediately put off employers. Employers want to read a tidy and professional CV that is structured in a straightforward way which is easy to follow. The most suitable font for your CV that is most commonly used on Word is Calibri, size 11.

The length of a standard CV is still debated but we advise that it should be no longer than two A4 pages. Recruiters will soon get bored if it is any longer.

Key information to include

• A CV should firstly include your personal details:
• Full Name and Address
• Email address: Make sure you keep this sensible, avoiding any unprofessional names.
• Contact number: This should the number you use on a regular basis and is easily accessible for recruiters.

A personal statement should then follow, introducing you to employers. A good personal statement should include your key characteristics and traits that make you stand out, summarising the whole document. Remember you are competing against many other candidates!

Employers want to also see your past work experience that you have done. You should include a selection of skills you learnt and the activities you carried out whilst at the job or placement. You should also include any relevant qualifications and achievements you have obtained in your life, this is crucial so that recruiters can see if you are suitable for the job.

The extras

If you have enough space left after the important information is complete, you could include your interests and hobbies. However, it has little importance compared to rest of your CV, so only if you have enough space. Therefore, place this on the second page of your CV so that the recruiter can understand more about your everyday life. You should also include two references from past employers, so recruiters can contact past employers.

Ready to click send?

Wait, there’s no rush! Make sure you have checked for any spelling mistakes and you have proof read the CV thoroughly. Getting a second set of eyes to check over it can be helpful in case you’ve accidentally missed anything. It could cost you your dream job!

Next you need to start uploading your CV onto job boards, setting up job alerts and searching for matching vacancies online, before sending off those all important applications. Check out our top tips for looking for work online or find out how to tap into the hidden jobs market.