Your Curriculum Vitae should effectively tell your story. Always start simple. Create a basic document with bullet points listing your education, training, experience, and achievements. This will allow you to have laser focus, ensuring you can showcase the best of you in your final draft.
To help you get there, we’ve prepared five tips to help you create a CV that stands out.
1. Keywords are vital
Your goal is to maintain the reader’s attention. Keywords are essential for getting past the first hurdle of computerised screening tools. In addition, Recruiters and Hiring Managers can almost read CVs in their sleep! They are trained speed readers and if you don’t have information that jumps off the page, they will lose interest fast.
Descriptions of previous employment should be brief, concise, and reflective of your core responsibilities, but more importantly, how it is relevant to your application.
Consider the type of work you want to be considered for and structure your CV’s wording around it. If it is for a very specific position, you should read the job spec and change your language to mirror the descriptions therein.
Large chunks of text can be off-putting so be sure to keep it punchy by using those keywords!
2. Create your own brand
The ‘About You’ section of your CV can be critical to your success. This section is intended as a punchy shorthand to let the Recruiter know your skills at a glance.
You should avoid having too much text here. Using Tip #1 for guidance, keywords will be your best friend.
However, before delving into your CV, you should take a few minutes to write your ‘Why’.
Why did you choose this area of work/study? Why do you enjoy it? Why are you looking to change positions?
If you know your ‘Why’, writing your CV will become something of pride, rather than a piece of paper or a digital document that you have no true connection to.
Everyone adds some flourish to their CV to make it stand out, but you will need that ‘Why’ to keep it authentic.
3. Tell the story of your career thus far and where you’d like it to go
Your experience to date is important. It gives the reader a better understanding of where you would be the best fit.
Ensure your most recent employment is the first thing the reader sees!
Once you get into the job descriptions, ensure the dates are correct, explain any gaps (family/training/travel etc.), and present it in clear bullet points to make the volume of information less overwhelming and more digestible for the reader.
Lastly, your experience should reflect the type of work that you want to get. Work your experience into what you are looking for, match the skills and experience, or clearly demonstrate that yours are transferable.
4. Give your skills context
You’ve told the reader about your experience. Now, you will want to highlight your skills!
Soft skills, such as teamwork and adaptability, are great to have but hard skills such as editing using PremierePro or lighting using an ION desk should be presented first and foremost.
Don’t simply list your skills, give them context! You want the reader to get a better understanding of your level and how suitable you might be for the role.
4. Have hobbies!
My final tip is to be authentic!
Show the reader that you have interests and hobbies. These give great insight into the type of person you are and could even be the deciding factor in whether you get called for an interview or not.
Try not to include generic hobbies just to fill the space. Push yourself to include things that you are truly passionate about. Similarly, you should include achievements which show that you are relevant and valuable. How have you contributed to the success of the team/business?
These two sections show off who you are and what you can bring to the table. To make the biggest impact you need to be authentic.
If you follow these tips while writing your CV, you’ll be sure to see the difference it makes. Having confidence in your CV is the first step to success.
