In most cases, your CV will be the first impression an employer has of you and is one of the most important sales tools you have. Therefore it is critical that it hits the mark and creates the impression you desire and need for the job you are applying for.
Remember your CV will be among many waiting to be reviewed- make it quick and easy for the reader to find out the most relevant information about you.
All your CV has to do is get them interested in you – once you meet them you can utilise all your sales skills to get the job.
Below are some basic rules of CV writing.
- Use clear headings and keep it structured. Try and avoid the use of tables and boxes as these will not always look the same on other people’s computers.
- AVOID going into too much details – It is a CV- NOT AN ESSAY – Leave the essays for your exams or project!
- Keep all your qualifications up to date.
- Don’t waste the opportunity to sell yourself through the personal interests you include either. This gives interviewers the chance to see how you’ll fit in to their team or business – and increasingly they’re looking for rounded individuals who’ll become work winners or client relationship partners in future.
- References can simply be ‘Available on Request.’ However, if you are applying for a specific job and they have already requested the details of your referees, then you may put the names of the referees on the bottom of your CV.
- DO NOT include your current salary.
- Your CV should be printed in black ink using a plain typeface.
- Your CV should ideally cover no more than 2 pages and never more than 3.
- Use short succinct bullet points to get to the point - rather than full sentences. This can help minimise the word count.
- GAPS in career history should be explained.
- The complete CV needs to be checked carefully for grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. This could leave a very poor impression if it is unchecked.
Any false information or inaccuracies should be removed at all costs.
At BSL we have a dedicated team who provide assistance in CV writing. For further information such as CV templates, CV Checking and Action words to include in CV’s please contact us and one of our executives will be in touch. |
