New Year, New Career?
Are you currently looking to secure a new role?
Do you sometimes feel you have the perfect skillset and experience for roles but just don’t seem to be getting much response? This is a common issue that many professionals searching for a new job encounter. Not to worry though, we thought we would share our ‘5 Top Tips to Prepare Your CV for 2023’ with you and try to help you resolve this issue.
Why should you listen to us here at Journey Recruitment? Because between us we have years of proven experience and review hundreds of CV’s every single day. Within about 15 seconds we make our decision as to whether your CV stands out among the rest, so below we have listed our top tips for success:
1. Contact Details
Every CV needs to begin with your contact details, otherwise the recruiter can’t contact you and invite you to an interview! Make sure you include:
- Name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Address
- Link to a LinkedIn profile if you have one!
You would be surprised how many CV’s include incorrect digits in phone numbers and out of date addresses. Make sure yours is up to date to ensure the company can get hold of you.
2. Include a Great Personal Profile
Your personal profile should be the next thing that you include on your CV. This is the first thing the recruiter will read, so it is your opportunity to SELL YOURSELF! You don’t need to write a lot, but key information about you and your desired job is essential. You should include:
- Key strengths – Include any key strengths about you that make you a great fit for the role.
- Desired role/ industry – The kind of role you are looking for (this should be tailored to the job description).
- Key achievements – If there is something particularly relevant that you have achieved, include this here to grab attention.
3. Check your Formatting!
The one key thing that puts us off a CV is bad formatting and spelling mistakes. Your CV is your opportunity to show off why you are the perfect candidate, and multiple spelling, grammar and formatting issues signal to the recruiter that you don’t have a great attention to detail. The things that you should check are:
- Spelling – Download Grammarly https://www.grammarly.com/ or use your integrated spell check software to highlight any issues.
- Grammar – Again, your PC should have a checking system in it to highlight any key issues.
- Fonts and Font Sizes– Make sure all font sizes match up by using the same size font for any headings and body texts. We also see some CV’s include lots of different font types and this looks very messy, so keep it consistent!
- Bullet Points – Use bullet points to summarise your experience at each role as this makes your CV easier to read.
A second pair of eyes is also a great way to check for any errors. Ask a friend or family member to check your spelling, grammar, and formatting to ensure your CV doesn’t have any errors.
4. Include Dates and Accurate Work Experience
A lot of the CVs we receive only include the year that the person worked in a certain role. We don’t need the exact day that you started, however the month and year that you started and finished a role are essential. This should be formatted as either March 2022- December 2022 or 03/2022-12/2022.
- Make sure every relevant work experience you list also includes the dates you worked there.
- Explain any gaps in employment. The recruiter will ask you, so this makes it a lot easier for both parties.
- List your work experience starting with your most recent role and work backwards. The recruiter is most interested in what you are up to at the moment.
5. Tailor Your CV to The Role
Another thing that we see a lot are CVs that are tailored to a completely unrelated job title. For example, if you applying to a role in customer service, it is unwise to submit a CV geared up to working in hospitality as this does not fit the job you are applying for.
- Check the job specification – Are there any words or key experience that they mention that are required for the role? Use similar words to the job specification and ensure you include relevant experience for each role you have worked at.
- Include a ‘Skills’ section – This should highlight what the employer is looking for in the job spec. For example, if they mention they need someone proficient in Microsoft Excel and you have this skill, ensure you highlight this here.
- Use dynamic words – Action words such as ‘managed’, ‘orchestrated’, ‘achieved’, ‘created’, ‘delivered’ and ‘coordinated’ will all grab the reader’s attention.
We hope you enjoyed reading our post and that some of these 5 tips ensure your CV gets you lots of interview opportunities this year.
To put these tips into practice, visit our jobs page at https://journeyrecruitment.co.uk/jobs/ and submit your new and improved CV!