With more than 600,000 jobs lost during lockdown and 9.1 million workers on furlough, there are plenty of people competing for a new job. Approximately 50 people apply for every job in infected areas of the UK this month, compared to 20 people per job in May according to new research from the Institute for Employment. If you are struggling to write an impressive CV, read on to hear Express.co.uk’s top tips on writing the perfect CV.
Some recruiters have admitted it can take just 30 seconds to totally reject a CV, so it’s important to make a good impression from the get go.
Cramming so much information about yourself onto a sheet of A4 paper is tricky, and can easily become disorganised and awkwardly-worded.
Don’t worry, we’ve rounded up seven top tips to putting together a stellar CV that will land you a new job in no time.
Read on to find out how to stand out from your competitors.
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Layout
First things first, your CV has to be easy on the eye.
There are plenty of free templates online to make your CV as attractive as possible.
They will normally be broken up into sections of information: skills, qualifications, education, experience, and so on.
Once you have found a suitable template, think about your font.
Write in a consistent and easy to read font such as Arial or Times New Roman in size 11 or 12.
Avoid any extravagant fonts such as comic sans, as they are difficult to read and the employer won’t take you seriously.
Succinct
Now you have decided what your CV looks like, it is time to think about what you are going to write.
Employers will skim read your CV to save time if they have too many people to choose from, because they know what they are looking for.
Try to say something in as few words as possible in order to save space for more points. Keep your sentences short and snappy, and don’t use flamboyant words.
The title should by your name and contact details, don’t waste space by writing ‘CV’ or ‘Curriculum Vitae’ at the top of the page.
Leave out interests and hobbies if they aren’t relevant to your job, otherwise you are wasting space.
If you are applying for a job in media this year, scrap the section about your retail job in secondary school.
A better alternative is talking about activities that demonstrate your personal values and passions, such as charity work.
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Vocabulary
Choosing the right words is important, and many employers are looking for you to say certain things.
Use positive language throughout, and really consider what traits you have that would make you brilliant at this job.
Jobs site Reed.co.uk recommends describing yourself using the following words:
- Accurate
- Adaptable
- Confident
- Hard-working
- Innovative
- Pro-active
- Reliable
- Responsible.
Cut clichés that you don’t believe to be true or that aren’t relevant to your job. For example, “I always go the extra mile” or “I work well independently or in a team”.
Sell yourself and avoid using phrases that other candidates will have used.
No photos
A CV is not social media, and you do not need to impress your potential employer with a stunning selfie.
The only jobs that should depend on appearance are models and actors.
Your employer is not assessing how well you do your makeup or how attractive your smile is, so focus on wowing them with words.
Get savvy on social media
For some roles, it could be useful to link to your social media on your CV.
Your social media profiles, like LinkedIn, reveal a lot about yourself, and you may want your employers to see this.
Remember to update your profiles before you do this, as you don’t want to get caught out with embarrassing and inappropriate photos.
Make your more personal social media pages private to keep your work and social life separate.