Time to refresh your career and make a fresh start
Well we are almost 4 weeks into the New Year, how is 2020 going for you so far?
Have you taken some time to review your career goals? Maybe you have been in the same job for a while and are thinking about changing and looking for a new job. This time of the year is the perfect time to make a fresh start and expand your horizons.
When was the last time that you refreshed and updated your Curriculum Vitae? Did you know that a Recruitment Consultant/ Hiring Manager takes 30 seconds or less to read your CV? So, in order to ensure that your CV is at the top of the pile of those shortlisted candidates for interview for a potential employer there are several things you should include when writing your CV.
Writing a CV
Your CV is your personal marketing tool to sell yourself to prospective employers. Make sure it includes your skills, abilities, professional history – work experience and achievements. Also ask yourself does my CV answer why I am the best person for the job? Is my CV in the premier league? Read more here – Writing a CV to Market yourself
Another good tip is to tailor your CV to the job you are applying for, so make sure that you read the job description fully and include the keywords throughout.
There are plenty of cv templates available if you need help with the layout and design. Whilst the structure of a CV is flexible, you need to be including the following sections:
Name and Contact Details
Save space by keeping it short. Name, email address, contact phone number(s), location – City and county. It is not necessary to include your full address. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can include a link to it here. Do make sure that it is up to date. A well written LinkedIn profile is another great self marketing tool.
Professional Statement
This is one of the most important sections, it’s a short one to two paragraphs that should be tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses the following:
- Who are you?
- What can you offer the company?
- What your career goals are.
Need help writing the statement, check out this comprehensive guide from
CV Library
Skills Summary
Because a recruiter scan reads or uses software to detect keywords for the role, this section is vital to capture attention and immediately make it clear what you can offer. Ensure that it is easy to read by highlighting a brief bulleted list of the skills and experience that you possess that are relevant to the role.
Experience and Career History
This section allows you to outline your previous jobs and work experience and can include any volunteering you may have done in the past. List your experience in reverse chronological order as your most recent job is relevant to the hiring manager. Don’t leave any gaps; these could lead potential employers to suspect the worst.
For each employment, add job title, company and the dates you worked there. It’s also a good idea to include a line to summarise the role. Next, add a bullet pointed list of key responsibilities, skills and achievements. If you have years of experience, it’s a good idea to list only the last ten years positions.
Education and Training
Use your common sense with this; if you are a experienced candidate with a higher education qualification or degree, employers are more likely to be interested in these rather than GCSEs or A Levels. If you have recently left education, list in reverse chronological order and Include the name of the institutions and the dates you were there, followed by the qualifications and grades you achieved. If you are further along in your career, you can lay out your qualifications like this; Qualification, grade – Institution – Year.
Listing any training courses that you have done that are relevant to the job that you are applying for should also be included here.
Hobbies and Interests (Optional Section)
Should you choose to add this section, do keep it brief and use the space to show how you can fit in with the company’s culture. Draw on interests that make you stand out or are relevant to the job.
Now you have the basics, it’s time to take action and complete the review. Are you standing out to employers? You might to read this article on Tailoring your curriculum vitae to specific job applications.
Good luck and happy job hunting!
