Seven ways to make a rockstar CV
There’s nothing more effective when writing a CV than making it simple and unique. When an employer is flicking through hundreds of applications for a role, spending on average less than a minute skimming through key information, what can you do to make sure that your CV glows?
1) Keep it as short as possible: Aim to fit your CV onto 1 or 2 pages max, avoid space fillers and try not to elaborate too much when it’s not essential. This allows you to just include the absolute key bits of information about yourself in a space that can be assessed very quickly, and certainly looks more appealing to read than a 5 pager.
2) Make sure it’s clear and simple: Choose a professional looking font such as Arial or Tahoma when writing a CV and keep the sizes, bolds, and underlines consistent throughout the whole document. You could also have a play around with a few layout designs that you like, until you find the right one to present your CV in the clearest way.
3) Tailor your CV for each job: Every employer wants something different from their candidates, meaning there’s no such thing as a perfect CV. Whilst time consuming, tailoring your skills, personal statement and selected experience for each job you apply for will be immediately noticeable for an employer when reading through.
4) Put emphasis on your experience & achievements: When writing a CV, qualifications are certainly important, but a lot of employers will be most interested in your work experience and what you’ve achieved in your career. So, it’s definitely worth listing your most relevant experience & achievements. Don’t be afraid to blow your own trumpet!
5) Write a killer personal statement: When it comes to writing a CV, a couple of lines at the top can tell a lot about a person. This paragraph should summarise your work ethic, personality, absolute key achievements and your motivation for progressing in your career, so make sure you communicate yourself as accurately as possible here!
6) Get a second pair of eyes on it: One pair of eyes is usually not enough to create a masterpiece, so when you have finalised your CV and signed off your work, ask a friend or relative to go through it and look for any mistakes/potential improvements you may have missed.
7) Remember you are selling yourself: Take credit where it is due, and use strong sentences when describing your involvement in projects and your duties. For example, “I truly excel when working with other people in a team”, has much more kick than a standard “I can work well within a team”. With this in mind, constantly review every sentence when writing a CV and ask yourself the question “so what?” in order to coach yourself into writing the most gripping resume possible.
If you are unsure of how your current CV would be perceived by an employer, you can visit CV Knowhow and they will provide you with an FOC CV review.
