Our Guide for Writing a Standout CV
We all know the importance of a standout CV but now more than ever with limited jobs in lockdown, you need to make sure your CV is the best it can be. For help writing CVs, you’ve come to the right place as we are experts in all things to do with job applications.
Here is a guide easy guide for you so if you need help writing CVs so that it stands out from others, don’t go anywhere! Not only is this important because of the amount of jobs in lockdown, but in general a high-quality CV is crucial to successful job applications.
For CV help, continue reading!
What Information Should I Include?
When giving help writing CVs, it is important that we talk about the information that needs to be included in your CV. Because of the lower number of jobs in lockdown you should follow all the advice that you can to get the best CV help possible!
You should always start with your personal details.
This means that the employer has access to all of your contact information to get in touch if they have any questions, to invite you for an interview, or to give feedback.
When giving CV help, some people say this next section is crucial, others say you can just not include it. We think that it is a good idea to start with a personal statement/profile that explains who you are, what you have to offer and generally, what experiences you have.
This should be a short paragraph summarising (and selling!) yourself to the recruiter.
You want to include your education background, so the employer knows your qualifications, what you’ve studied, what skills you gained, and how this is relevant to the job you’re applying for.
Next you should list your work experience, with the most recent first.
Here you mention anything that you did in the role that is relevant to the job you are applying to. This ensures that they see what your responsibilities were and how you can apply what you learnt to the new role.
You need to include a list of your achievements, whether that be a first aid course or an industry specific award, course e.c.t.
Your achievements not only show the employer what you can do professionally, but it gives them a better idea of who you are as a person too and if they would like to work with you.
You could also include a voluntary roles/responsibilities section if necessary. Anything that will make you stand out to others is worth putting in.
When giving help writing CVs it should be noted that these few sections depend on what you have done or achieved. They may be necessary to you, they may not.
Just note that our CV help is all about making sure you include anything you can that will make you stand out from others.
The final section should give the employer a bit more information about you and your interests. This allows you to show that you are interesting and can be a talking point when in an interview situation.
Because of the unexpected year that we have had, a top tip would be to write how you’ve kept busy during lockdown, what jobs in lockdown you’ve done, and if you learnt any new skills.
It’s an experience that we’ve all had and reacted differently to so if you did something different or interesting while stuck at home then you should include it!
How Should I Present My CV?
When giving out CV help, we cannot ignore the layout and presentation of the document. Especially because of the reduced number of jobs in lockdown, it’s crucial to present your CV professionally.
You may have written one before, you may need help writing CVs from scratch, whatever it is we are here to give CV help.
General Advice
When we are asked to give help writing CVs, we feel the need to stress the importance of tailoring your CV to each job role. Even if you’re applying for jobs in the same industry, different companies will want different skills and experiences from their applicants, so it is crucial to go through your CV each time you apply.
You should also make sure to highlight the specific skills that were listed in the job description.
With the limited number of jobs in lockdown, making sure that you tick off all the skills they are looking for will help you to stand out from the other applicants.
Not only should you list the skills that you have making you right for the role but also the personal qualities you have that make you right for the role. They are looking to know about you personally as well as professionally.
Whether you were looking for jobs in lockdown, jobs out of lockdown or you just think your CV needs a little refresher then this guide should have helped you with layout, what to include and some top tips.
For more help writing CVs, advice on cover letters, general CV help, and more check out our other blog posts!
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