We have created a handy CV tips document that applies to not only Digital Learning candidates but job seekers across many professional fields.
There are a few simple tips to help your CV stand out to potential employers to give you the best chance of securing that all-important interview.
Page Length
The age-old “one-page CV” doesn’t quite cut it in the modern world!
Our experience suggests that Hiring Managers are more receptive to a 2 – 3 page CV. This allows Managers to read and digest your CV in one sitting, whilst allowing you space to fully highlight your skills and experience without cramming it into a single page.
Personal Introduction
A solid introduction is vital. This should be one paragraph or four to five sentences introducing you and your skillset. In the absence of a cover letter, this section can (and should) be tailored to outline your suitability for the position that you’re applying for. This allows the Hiring Manager to immediately understand why you will be the perfect fit for their team.
The introduction acts as part of your first impression and will either encourage the Hiring Manager to read on…or reach for the delete button. But don’t worry – with our guidance and template, that won’t be happening.
The Content
The bulk of your CV should provide an insight into you and your job history. If you are a graduate, the order should be:
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Contact details
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Education
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Work experience
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Personal interests / hobbies
If you are an experienced professional, with 3+ years of work experience following School or University, the order changes slightly to:
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Contact details
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Work experience
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Education Professional development
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Personal interests / hobbies
Your experience should always start with your most recent job role and continue in reverse chronological order. This showcases your most relevant and important experience to the Hiring Manager from the outset.
Note: Be sure to highlight your achievements and key skills throughout!
Tailoring Your CV
Your CV is not a ‘one size fits all’. It’s best practice to tailor your CV for each application.
This will dramatically increase your chances of reaching an interview stage as the relevance between your CV and the job description will be high.
We are aware of the serial job application spree that most people tend to go on when looking for a new role, particularly in critical times such as redundancy. This is also influenced by the ease of applying through tools such as Linkedin, but we promise you, spamming out multiple job applications with one set CV, across numerous different jobs will only reduce your interview hit rate. It’s very obvious when an application has been submitted without too much thought.
Throughout your CV, you should match your skills to the job specification. Companies often use coded scripts, or job boards to find relevant keywords through CV’s – these best matches are then brought to the attention of the employer.
Therefore, make sure you thoroughly read through the job description, highlighting what the employer is looking for and ensuring your CV is aligned towards this.
Aesthetic Appeal
Finally, aesthetics!
If your CV doesn’t look very appealing, it can be interpreted as a lack of effort and an unwillingness to pay attention to detail – clearly not the impression you want to make with a prospective Hiring Manager!
You don’t need to be a Graphic Designer to make your CV presentable, here are some simple things to think about:
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Make sure that everything lines up correctly – formatting is key for readability
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Check your spelling and grammar, and then check it again
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Ensure that the text and fonts are consistent in type, colour, and sizes throughout
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Put keywords in bold to help them stand out
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If you have tables, ensure that they are compatible with the CV document format
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Bullet points (like these!) work better than long drawn-out paragraphs
Document Type
Last but certainly not least is the actual file type of the CV you submit.
We recommend this to always be a PDF document. As a PDF, your document contents will be locked into place, as though applying a finishing spray to keep your work intact.
It will also be optimised for ‘fast web-view’, meaning anybody you send it to can easily open the document on any browser.
If you’re a dab-hand at design and work in that space, you’ll likely build your CV within Adobe Illustrator, InDesign etc and will almost always export your document as a PDF.
But if you’re simply using Microsoft Word, it’s of the utmost importance to save your file as a PDF before sending.
To further assist you in your CV creation and job search, we’ve created a free CV Template for you to download and personalise!
Download your FREE CV Template HERE
We hope that the above tips and CV Template are useful in your journey along your career path.
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