JobsInwales.com have teamed
up with Pro-Serve, one of the UK’s leading CV Writing consultancies
to offer you some valuable advice to help you get noticed in
today’s
competitive job market.
CV Advice
Your CV is one of the most important documents you will need
throughout your career. If it is too long, lacks impact or generally
very plain, it is unlikely to stand out amongst the competition. According
to recent research, recruiters receive approximately 200 applications
per job and in reality, your CV will generally have between 30-60 seconds
to make an impact.
So, how do you ensure your CV is at the top of the pile?
A clear, well laid out CV certainly has advantages over a scruffy and
lengthy document. The issues you will face are what to leave in and what
to take out in order to create the impact that is required whilst still
getting the breadth and depth of experience across to the reader. Not
only that, your CV has to appeal to a wide and varied audience ranging
from a junior recruitment consultant to possibly a CEO.
1. Ensure your contact details are prominent so that recruiters / employers
can get in touch with you easily. Include your e-mail address and a mobile
phone number if you have one.
2. Don’t use unnecessary words. A long, drawn out sentence may
make you look inefficient. Try being short, sharp and
to the point. Remember, a CV is a marketing tool, not a life history.
3. Don’t be afraid to have several versions of your CV. This is
perfectly acceptable and the more focused your CV is
for the role you want, the better chance you have of securing the interview.
4. Many candidates are found through keyword searches on huge CV databases.
Ensure your CV contains all of the relevant keywords.
5. Try to avoid having date gaps in your CV.
6. Don’t lie. This could damage your credibility beyond repair.
7. Include your highest level of education. Unless you are starting
your career, you do not need to put down details of your secondary school.
8. Do not include salary details or include a photograph unless it is
requested.
9. Don’t forget, recruiters and HR personnel are specialists in
their fields, not specialists in yours. Ensure they will
be able to easily build up a mental picture as to what you do and how
relevant you are
for the role they are recruiting for.
10. Presentation and formatting is just as important as the content
in your CV. This is where you have the opportunity to create
impact with good use of fonts and white space. Don’t ‘clutter’ up
your CV with unnecessary graphics and too many words.
11. Check thoroughly for spelling and grammatical errors.
12. Last but not least – keep your CV on the short side. Two pages
is ideal.
Discover the new you!
The CV experts at Pro-Serve have already helped numerous job seekers
to:
• Stand out from the crowd
•
Win more interviews • Boost their confidence
• Gain a salary increase
FREE NO OBLIGATION CONSULTATION - Pro-Serve can help you do this too!
To find out more, simply fill out the form below and attach your CV by using the browse button. This info will then be passed on to Pro-Serve for a free no-obligation consultation and find out how you could secure your dream job faster with a new powerful CV!
