Your CV is the key to getting your foot in the door at a new company. You won’t get an opportunity to speak to hiring managers if your CV doesn’t impress them first!
Ensuring these seven key points are included in your CV will help you on your way to success.
1. Correct contact details
This is CV tips 101. At the very top of your CV, you should have your name, phone number and email address. Please, double check that these details are correct otherwise employers will have no way of actually getting in touch with you.
It’s also advisable to include your home address at the top of your CV so that employers can see how far you will have to commute for the job. If you’re thinking of relocating, it’s a good idea to mention this in your covering letter to avoid any confusion.
2. A powerful personal statement
Your personal statement is what employers are going to look at first and it needs to persuade them to continue to read the rest of your CV. A powerful personal statement is concise, but at the same time it showcases your best skills and demonstrates that you are a good fit for the role you have applied for.
To ensure your personal statement packs a punch every time, you should tailor it to each application. Which brings us to the next point…
3. Keywords
Employers receive a lot of applications and they rarely read every CV cover to cover. Instead, they become expert skim-readers and when they’re glancing over your CV they are looking for certain keywords.
You can identify what types of keywords they might be looking for by looking through a few job descriptions for the types of roles you want. You’ll soon start to see common qualities and skills that crop up in a number of adverts and these are what you will want to work into your CV.
4. Work history
Employers like to see a clear work history that paints a picture of your career path. While not every role you’ve had will be relevant to the types of roles you are applying for, large gaps in your work history could raise questions. While you don’t need to go into depth about irrelevant roles, you should still list them so that employers know what you doing at that time.
If you took some time out to start a family or travel, you may want to include that as a point in your work history to explain the time gap.
5. Your progression path
If you changed roles or were promoted within a company, make sure that this is clear on your CV. Employers like to see that you have progressed within a company as this shows them that you perform well and are moving up the career ladder.
6. Key achievements
Saying that you have certain skills, strengths and abilities doesn’t actually prove that you have them. Be sure to include some impressive achievements in your work experience section that demonstrate how you made a big impact on your previous employer. This could be how much revenue you generated, what processes you improved or industry awards you achieved.
7. Personality
While your CV should have a professional tone, it’s good to inject a little bit of personality to give the employer a feeling for what you are actually like. Showing personality is also a great way to set yourself apart from other applicants.
The best way to tell the employer a little more about you is by including a hobbies and interests section. You should definitely mention hobbies that demonstrate relevant skills and qualities for the role you are applying for and also highlight any key extra-curricular achievements that show desirable traits such as commitment, teamwork and leadership.
Are you ready to wow with your CV?
Once you’ve included all of these key points in your CV, you’re ready to start applying for jobs. With these areas covered, you’re sure to start getting some calls from employers in no time. Good luck!