Many people ask ‘why do I need to make my CV stand out, surely it should be about my skillset and not how my CV looks?’
Put yourself in the shoes of the person reading your CV. They can receive several hundred applications a day and mostly from people who don’t have the necessary experience required for the role, so it will be hard to fully read your CV. With research showing that the average time spent on viewing a CV is 30 seconds, you need to ensure all your relevant skills are obvious.
With this in mind, if you are creative person, and applying for creative roles, then show your creativity with your CV – don’t go overboard and make sure your relevant skills and experience are there too.
For the rest of us, make it simple, straightforward and to the point. Ask yourself, if you were recruiting for this role, what would you be looking for on the CV?
Your profile is a good place to start, utilise this to entice the person reviewing your CV to read the rest. This area is an opportunity to let your future employer know what you have been doing and what you’re looking to do next, whilst ensuring you highlight your skills in relation to the skills/experience required for the role you are applying for.
When listing your previous roles, ensure that the relevant skills and experience are at the top of the listing, and avoid long sentences – again, be concise. It is not necessary to list all your tasks, just the relevant ones and a few others. If complex maybe a brief paragraph describing the projects you were working on.
If you don't grab their attention on page 1, chances are they won't read page 2 or 3
It is not enough to grab a potential employer’s attention with a good written CV, attention to formatting and neatness is just as important, as it can say a lot about your presentation skills and professionalism – especially if you are dealing with their customers and clients.
Finally, if you are going to make the effort to ensure you CV stands out, make sure it includes your name, email address and mobile number so you can be contacted.
For more detailed information on preparing a CV please visit www.bluestreamrecruitment.co.uk/cv-tips/