The Perfect CV

Arguably one of the most important tools you have during your search for employment is a CV so the more professional this is, the better your chances are of finding the best job for you. Your CV should effectively bring together your skills, achievements and experiences while highlighting the attributes that make you suitable for the type of work that you are applying for.

Top tips for the perfect CV

Your CV should help you to stand out from other candidates when applying for jobs, and there are some key points that you should bear in mind if you want to maximise your chances of success:

Never handwrite your CV
Only use good-quality paper
Choose your font and presentation style carefully
Include the information in order of priority
Try not to exceed the two-page limit for a CV

Layout

At the top of the page, you should include your current contact details so that they are easy for employers to find should they wish to contact you. This information should be followed by a professional profile which is used to summarise your most notable skills and personal qualities. Some people believe that this section can sound arrogant but it has been found to be favoured by recruiters and employers. It can also be adapted according to the specific role that you are applying for so that you can make sure that you fulfil the criteria for the position. The profile may then be followed by an objective statement which highlights your ideal career path.

The remaining education and career summary sections should be placed in order of priority: if, for example, you have recently graduated but have little work experience, it is logical to include your education details before your career summary so that potential employers see this information first. The CV should include additional information such as IT proficiency and languages and this should ideally be placed after the education section.

In general, the CV should conclude with a brief summary of your personal interests, ideally ones which make your personality stand out while also showing you in a positive light. Common interests, such as music, socialising and reading, should ideally be avoided because they do not offer any unique insight into you as a person and are interests normally shared by most people.

Common mistakes

Here is a list of some obvious, and some less obvious, mistakes often seen on CVs:

Too long – remember only to include relevant and interesting information and to summarise this as much as possible
Poor layout – ensure that the information in the CV is presented logically
Spelling and grammatical errors – you must read through your CV to ensure that it makes sense and does not contain any careless mistakes
Photographs – these are unnecessary unless applying for a job as a model or actor and can distract from the important information contained in the CV
Use of first person – using I or Me in a CV is considered to be unprofessional and informal
Overuse of jargon – although it can help to highlight your knowledge of your chosen profession by the inclusion of buzz words, overuse can cause problems if the reader of the CV is not familiar with them

Sound professional

You may have had negative experiences during your previous employment but it is important to avoid this coming across in your CV. You should make sure that you emphasise your positive attributes and experiences, and that you demonstrate your dedication and willingness to learn.

Power verbs

Power verbs are words which can be used to emphasise what you have actually achieved rather than just what you have done. These are particularly important in the career summary and can include words such as achieved, developed, launched, managed, empowered, maximised, strengthened, implemented, realised.

Tailoring your CV

Although some people have just one CV that they use for all job applications, some people prefer to have a number of different CVs tailored towards different positions so that they can highlight the qualifications, skills and experiences that they possess which are most relevant to the role. However, it may not actually be necessary to rewrite the entire CV to target specific roles – it may simply be a case of swapping the order of information around or just tweaking the professional profile at the top of the page.

It is important to provide evidence of your skills and experiences rather than simply saying that you have them! So if you are applying for a position in retail management, you should not only say how much experience you have in this field but also what you have achieved during your career in terms of targets, sales and customer service. This serves to emphasise how you can add value to a particular company and job role.

The CV Centre employs experienced writers with the knowledge required to tailor CVs for all industry sectors. You can therefore put yourself at a great advantage if you get your CV professionally prepared by The CV Centre.

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