Did you know recruiters spend an average of 7 seconds looking at a CV. That is no time at all! Every second counts, that is why we’ve compiled 7 simple tips too improve your CV, helping you to land your next interview!
Studies show that effective CVs are only 1-2 pages long, so make sure to write concisely to get your point across in two pages or less. But do not force it on to two pages either!
Here’s our top tips on how to improve your CV
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1.Keep it concise–
One of the key factors when writing your CV. Keep relevant info straight to the point so it’s easy to scan.
2.Tailor to the job–
It’s very important not to add any irrelevant information. For example, if you’re applying for a role in Digital marketing, the employer won’t want to read about when you were a lifeguard at the local swimming pool! Now although that sounds super exciting is it relevant? Probably not. If an employer is scanning your CV, they won’t want or need to read unnecessary experiences. What you can do is pick out the key responsibilities and skills advertised in the job advert and try to reflect that you’ve done these before in your CV.
3.A clear layout-
If you saw a document filled with text and no white space to be seen are you likely to read it? Probably not! it can be hard to structure your cv in a way that looks effective, says enough and is easy to scan, and there is thousands of free templates you can use if you are unsure on where to start. Our favourite free templates are from Canva – all you need to do is change the content to your relevant information! (Link to Canva)
4.Highlight your achievements–
One thing that happens all too often is that you’ll be so focused on making yourself seem like the best employee who takes on all responsibilities, you forget to include your achievements! Stop letting responsibilities override your own achievements and highlight these and the positive impact you’ve made in previous roles.
5.Show skills–
You should use your CV to highlight your skills, expertise, and responsibilities. We get that some may struggle to differentiate skills from responsibilities and that is ok! Your skills are what you are good at doing and that help you deliver your expected responsibilities, such as: Competent with Microsoft Excel, Able to log data accurately, Good organisational skills, Work to a deadline.
6.Check for those errors–
As you can imagine an employer will go through many CVs for one role. However, something really important to be aware of is when employers are looking through a large number of CVs, they will follow a strict rule out process. A spelling mistake could be the line between making it to an interview or not, so make sure you proofread. A useful tip if you have no one to review it for you to come back to it the next day as you will be more focused after an extended break.
7.Keep it professional–
Avoid using slang and informal language. A professional tone should always be used when writing your CV. If you struggle when it comes to writing in a formal manner you can use WordTune! Input what you have already written and WordTune will give you different options to improve your sentences and set the tone of voice. Even if you do find writing formally comes naturally to you WordTune is still useful for fresh input!
By applying all 7 tips to your we can assure you will improve your CV. Making those 7 second’s count! You will have a CV that is easy to scan, includes relevant information and is free from error. Making you proud while impressing employers to land you the interview you deserve!
