CV checklist - don't send your CV without reading this
When you come to write or edit your CV it’s important to work out what approach suits you rather than following and abiding by every piece of advice out there.
If you’re updating, tweaking or writing your CV from scratch, the following checklist should help you determine what you need to include and what you should avoid.
Have an easy to follow format
Unless you’re applying for a role as a designer, getting overly elaborate with fonts, margins and borders is an instant NO. This will only distract your prospective employer and lead them to ignore what’s important on your CV.
Print on clean white paper and ensure it is no longer than two pages of A4 – don’t be afraid of white space on your CV, it will make it easier to read and extract information.
Include key information
Your CV has a very limited time to impress. It is a must that your contact details are up-to-date and clearly displayed. Make sure that contacting you is a hassle free experience.
Another useful point to consider is ensuring that you don’t have any unexplained gaps in employment. Explain as clearly as you can, be truthful and include all key job roles you have held previously during your career.
Keep it simple
Don’t bury important information in irrelevant nonsense. Your CV’s main objective is to clearly show off your skills and personality as succinctly as possible. Ensure your CV makes you sound interesting and demonstrates that you will be a good fit in the business. A simple CV is a good CV.
Qualifications
It’s essential that you don’t go over the top with these but they’re still a very important CV prerequisite. Adding key qualifications that are relevant to the job vacancy will show off what you can offer and again demonstrate you are a good fit for the job.
Show off your achievements
It’s easy to forget your key achievements in your previous job. Have a think about what you were involved in and what you achieved. Offer tangible evidence of the impact you could have in the job role you’re applying for. Don’t be tempted to fib – employers can, and do, check facts!
Check and double check. And then check again
There is absolutely no excuse for poor grammar and spelling mistakes within a CV. Avoid long and complicated sentences with questionable punctuation as this is hard to read and is confusing. Check it yourself thoroughly and ask a friend to read it too, to guarantee that your CV is mistake free, succinct and easy to read.
Summary
Before sending your CV off to any prospective employer you must be your own harshest critic. Scrutinise every detail of your CV no matter how insignificant you think it is – everything matters.
The above checklist will help you understand what employers are looking for in your CV and what things will deter prospective employers from hiring you during your job search.
When you come to write or edit your CV it’s important to work out what approach suits you rather than following and abiding by every piece of advice out there.
If you’re updating, tweaking or writing your CV from scratch, the following checklist should help you determine what you need to include and what you should avoid.
Have an easy to follow format
Unless you’re applying for a role as a designer, getting overly elaborate with fonts, margins and borders is an instant NO. This will only distract your prospective employer and lead them to ignore what’s important on your CV.
Print on clean white paper and ensure it is no longer than two pages of A4 – don’t be afraid of white space on your CV, it will make it easier to read and extract information.
Include key information
Your CV has a very limited time to impress. It is a must that your contact details are up-to-date and clearly displayed. Make sure that contacting you is a hassle free experience.
Another useful point to consider is ensuring that you don’t have any unexplained gaps in employment. Explain as clearly as you can, be truthful and include all key job roles you have held previously during your career.
Keep it simple
Don’t bury important information in irrelevant nonsense. Your CV’s main objective is to clearly show off your skills and personality as succinctly as possible. Ensure your CV makes you sound interesting and demonstrates that you will be a good fit in the business. A simple CV is a good CV.
Qualifications
It’s essential that you don’t go over the top with these but they’re still a very important CV prerequisite. Adding key qualifications that are relevant to the job vacancy will show off what you can offer and again demonstrate you are a good fit for the job.
Show off your achievements
It’s easy to forget your key achievements in your previous job. Have a think about what you were involved in and what you achieved. Offer tangible evidence of the impact you could have in the job role you’re applying for. Don’t be tempted to fib – employers can, and do, check facts!
Check and double check. And then check again:
There is absolutely no excuse for poor grammar and spelling mistakes within a CV. Avoid long and complicated sentences with questionable punctuation as this is hard to read and is confusing. Check it yourself thoroughly and ask a friend to read it too, to guarantee that your CV is mistake free, succinct and easy to read.
Summary
Before sending your CV off to any prospective employer you must be your own harshest critic. Scrutinise every detail of your CV no matter how insignificant you think it is – everything matters.
The above checklist will help you understand what employers are looking for in your CV and what things will deter prospective employers from hiring you during your job search.
{module Media Share}
