How to write a professional CV
When applying for a job, your CV lets you promote yourself and your achievements to employers. This will be their first impression of you. Therefore, it is important to have a professionally targeted CV for the role, demonstrating you meet the position requirements. Employers will look at your CV for around 6-7 seconds, before deciding whether to look further into your resume. Think about the hiring team and what abilities will stand out to them. The aim of CVs is to persuade employers you are a suitable candidate and should be invited for an interview. Presentation is key, so you should keep it short, targeted with keywords and straight to the point whilst the appearance remains eye-catching and professional.
Required Content
Personal Statement - A brief, professional introduction to yourself, expressing career goals and key attributes that make you perfect for the role. Don’t exaggerate or lie, as these will make you lose credibility, just highlight your objectives and accomplishments.
Key Skills/Soft Skills – List achievements, training in related software or subjects or any expertise knowledge on IT that are relevant to the job.
Previous Employment – List relevant employment history, from most recent to least, including job role, company name, and length of employment. As well, include the key responsibilities you had which relate to the vacancy you are applying.
Education – List qualifications, modules, assignments, or projects from most recent to least that are relatable to the job role.
Contact Details – Include your full name, mobile number, and email address. Without the correct information you can’t be contacted for an interview.
Additional Details
Interests and hobbies – Interests that relate to the job attracts recruiter’s attention, giving a good indication of yourself and opens conversation during the interview.
References – At this stage, you wouldn’t need to provide specifics, just say they are available upon request.
Format
Layout – Keep details brief and use subheadings and bullet points to layout information clearer – this makes it easier to skim read and pull-out essential details. Arial/Calibri/New Times Roman fonts look clean and font size should remain 10-12 and with headings/subheadings 14-16. Formatting is crucial for the overall look of your CV so make it stand out professionally.
Language – You want to avoid generic, overused phrases like ‘hardworking and motivated,’ instead use powerful doing words like ‘managed,’ ‘operated’ and ‘produced’ to explain tasks and responsibilities you’ve controlled. Yourself and others should thoroughly review to ensure you use correct spelling, grammar, and good English. These will all make your CV read considerably better, and people can assist in making suitable adjustments. To specifically target the role, use keywords that link to the vacancy. Look at the job advertisement and use words they reference throughout, tailoring this within your writing.
CV builders (Further reading)
Online, there is a variety of free CV builders to give recommendations on creating CVs, 3 are listed below. Microsoft Word also has a CV build help tool as well as templates to download.
Moreover, if you want free CV advice and help, send us an email at info@winrecruitmentservices.co.uk
https://www.myperfectcv.co.uk/