What Is A CV?
When applying for a job, most companies will require a CV from you beforehand. A Curriculum Vitae, to use its full name, is an audition of sorts to showcase your skills and personality. Employers then use this to decide whether you are suitable for the role.
Even if you find yourself in the seemingly never-ending cycle of needing experience without receiving experience, a well-written CV can help get you in front of an interviewer. One chance is all you need to begin a long and successful career.
At TESYouth, we aim to help you write a bulletproof CV that provides the opportunities you deserve. Here we look at some tricks and tips that will help you stand out from the crowd.
Tailored To Perfection
Squeezing your CV through the mountain of applications is similar to getting a seat on the tube during rush hour in London. Sometimes you get lucky. A lot of the time, it comes down to tactics, like keeping a set of crutches at work.
Jokes aside, the sheer competition for job vacancies post-pandemic means a lot of CVs do not make it past the shortlist stage. Tailoring your approach to the role will give you a distinct advantage over the other candidates.
Keywords and phrases are essential, as recruiters look out for those during the vetting stage. That doesn’t mean including words for the sake of it, however. Providing context to them will make sure your future employers are suitably impressed.
If the job you are applying for requires a high level of communication, for example, emphasise this in your skills and experience section.
Pull Them In
First impressions go a long way. You want to hit them with an opening so sharp that they are desperate to learn more about you. Tell them immediately what kind of character they will be hiring and why you will be a fantastic addition to the company.
A question often asked is whether to write your statement in the first or third person. Opinions differ on this, but the main conscientious is to remove the pronouns entirely. It comes across as more professional, which you always want to do when writing your CV.
To The Point
Have you ever had a conversation with somebody where all they do is talk about themselves for what seems like forever? Well, a CV can be like the written version of that.
Managers will have a million things on their minds at any one point. Once you get your CV in front of the decision maker, the last thing you want is to put them off because of the length.
Two pages should be the aim when typing up your CV. That is enough to put together a captivating summary of yourself and your skills, work history/education and hobbies.
Some employers may request a cover letter to go alongside your CV. That will be your chance to go into further detail about the role and why you feel you are the right candidate.
Show Your Value
When writing about your work experience, don’t just list your responsibilities. Instead, list how this brought value to the company and remember to include any particular success you had.
Again this goes back to giving context to your writing. It tells a story for your reader and keeps them engaged while providing further insight into what you will bring to the table.
In interviews, you will always provide examples when speaking about experiences. A CV should be no different.
Time To Write
Now that you have the inside scoop on how a strong CV should look, you can begin writing your own.
In fact, why not bring your newly written CVs to one of our FREE career workshops? You can sign up using the link below!
