Having a good CV can be the thing that gives you the edge over another candidate for a job, yet many people simply don’t know how to lay out a winning CV.
Whether you’re going for a new career and are out of practice of how to update your credentials or you’re starting out and want to make the best of your minimum experience, here are 6 top tips for creating that perfect CV:
1. Catch them with Colour
Gone are the days where your CV was laid out in black and white and read like a what’s what of general education. Adding your personality to a CV shows who you are and not just what you have done.
The key is to stand out from the competition and draw that employer in, Especially if you are applying for a creative job in Arts/Culture/Media/Design. Show them from the beginning that you are very capable. Ditch the A4 white page. Bring it to life.
2. Have an ‘About You’ if you have had a ‘few’ jobs
At a recent meeting at Belfast Media Festival, BBC Talent Manager JP Cardew advised, especially those who are a little older to drop the years and years of previous employment and add it into an introduction about yourself. This way it will show that yes you did have that career as a Dental Nurse for many years but with that you have built a great understanding of how people work, are meticulous with detail and now, as you are just that little bit older, you have gained the confidence to pursue that dream job that you just were not ready for at 20. This will also read better than a standard list of jobs you have had from the early 2000’s that are not in the same genre of career you are applying for.
3. If in doubt, download a template
And why not. There are thousands of templates online that will keep you right and guide you as to what to put where. It can be daunting starting to build your CV, and even more so when you just cannot grasp where to start. We recommend gosumo-cvtemplate.com/all-cv-templates. This site will guide you step by step on how to achieve that eye-catching CV.
4. Qualifications and Skills
All of them. Even those random little courses you did to fill the time as you read up on your dream career, add them in. Education qualifications are the fundamental ones to add on, but those online courses or those day seminars that resulted in a qualification show determination, dedication and self-belief. Things also like first aid qualifications, self shooting courses, door licence, holistic therapies, they all count to show what a well rounded individual you are.
5. It’s not a novel
At the Belfast Media Festival ITV Talent Manager Bianca Joseph advised that short and sweet is the key. A double sided A4 page is more than enough. Your strengths and talent needs to jump straight away, your key trait should not be buried in page 5 of 7. Do not bore the employer by having a short story in their hands, condense it down, qualifications and if you must, past irrelevant to the new job employment can be listed in bullet form such as:
Supervisor – Coffee Central
Manager – Crafty Coffee
Christmas Sales – The Jewellery Shop
Temporary Manager – Shoes Shoes Shoes
6. Tailor it to the position
First, make your generic CV. Keep it on hand as it is good to go. When each job comes up, read the job description and person specification and tailor a copy of it to suit the company. Drop their keywords in the introduction section or if they require a Cover Letter, put it there. They want ‘fun and dynamic who can work at a fast pace’ then you are a ‘dynamic, fun, ambitious person who thrives in a fast paced setting.’