Mindset for success
We’ve seen a rise in people requesting CV writing advice at Bark.com. A professional can help you really stand out from the crowd, but there are some basic tips which everyone should follow when writing a CV.
CV layout
Simple right? Absolutely! It’s surprising how often minor details are ignored, and you don’t want to let simple formatting put you on the wrong foot before you’ve been able to showcase yourself as the star you are. The font should be black, size 11 and plain. Steer clear of Times New Roman as this is very generic.
Straight to the point
Your CV should be two pages of A4. If you must go a bit longer then do – but definitely no more than two and half. You’ve got some impressive skills but make sure you save something for the interview! This will also mean you avoid needless waffle and it'll be the perfect length to keep your potential employer interested.
Make a great impression
Make sure your CV looks professional, including your photos. Your latest night out with your friends won’t cut it on your LinkedIn profile and it’s not right for your CV either – make sure your pictures look respectable. If you’re worried about the quality of your photos, you can hire someone to take professional headshots for you. Look out for typos too, as they will make you look slack and untidy.
Nothing but the truth
So maybe you can stretch it a tiny little bit. If you want to emphasise strengths and make yourself shine, this is OK. Once you start talking about your four Olympic gold medals and solo flight around the world, you may have a problem. When you get to the interview or are tasked with something similar – if you land the job, things could get awkward. Employers have seen it all before and they have a hawk eye to this kind of thing.
Show your personality
Let your personality shine through as much as possible. Include your personal profile with your skills so that whoever is reading your CV can get a feel of whether you would fit in at the company. Employers will always pick someone with ability and personality over just their skills.
Mind the gap
Do not leave gaps in your CV, if you’ve taken two years out to go travelling – state it! Employers will be apprehensive if they've seen you've spent long periods of time between jobs without an explanation. Explain how you were productive in your own way, at times you weren’t in employment, and wow your potential employees with your great work ethic and initiative you have.
Make it relevant
The best way to get on the right side of your dream employer is by helping to make their life just a little bit easier. We all know recruiting can be an arduous task so make sure your CV is relevant to the role, references the company and is to the point – so the recruiter can see you are a candidate to be seriously considered for the role without having to read through too much waffle.
Email address
Again it sounds obvious, but the amount of people that do not have a professional sounding email address to put on their CV isn’t actually that low. ‘Partygirl17@gmail.com’ is probably going to give off the wrong impression from the outset and from there it won’t matter how impressive your skill set is.
