Top CV tips from the experts

First impressions count.

As a job seeker, that’s your CV, your first and sometimes only chance –to convince a potential employer that you are the ideal candidate for a role.

As recruitment specialists, we review hundreds of CVs each week and also get to see the reaction of employers to applications. We know what works and what doesn’t. And, with an average of only two per cent of candidates selected to attend an interview, we wanted to share our top tips.

Many overestimate how much time is given to reading an application. Recruiters spend on average six-eight seconds reviewing a CV before they decide whether to call that candidate, or not. This should therefore shape your approach to applications, ensuring your CV is clear, concise and gets straight to the point, highlighting your most relevant experience for a given role.

Match your CV to the position

It might seem obvious, but the most successful candidates are those who match their CV to the job specification. Employers will be looking for experience and most importantly, achievements, that make you stand out against other applicants.

Therefore, before applying for a role, you should match your experience up to the Job Specification, addressing as many of the bullet points as possible, as well as any additional information that has been offered to you by your recruiter, which will often supersede the job description itself.

Keep It Stupid Simple (K.I.S.S.)

... and keep it relevant. You may have completed some brilliant tasks but if they aren’t what the employer is looking for, then they will take up valuable space that could otherwise be used to bolster the experience that is more relevant. Perhaps you can mention them later or make a note of them to mention in your interview.

Not only will this keep it short and sweet but will also ensure that the reader can instantly see how your skills line up with the role.

Showcase your most recent experience

Your most recent experience will, naturally, be the primary area of focus for recruiters and hiring managers, so this should be the section that you give the most airtime to, highlighting the following

• Your key responsibilities and achievements
• Stakeholders that you interact with (directors, managers, suppliers, customers etc.)
• Tools/software used (IT packages, hardware etc.)
• Numbers, percentages and timings – to make your experience tangible

Introduction and career ambitions

In addition to your experience to date, employers will also want to know more about you, a short personal profile, and your career ambitions. These aspirations can of course change, but it is helpful for hiring managers to get a sense of your desired career path moving forward.

This statement doesn’t need to be paragraphs long or too descriptive – a paragraph outlining you, and your goals, will help employers to get a better sense of you, and what you’re looking for. According to a recent survey of 147,000 UK CVs, nearly one in three (28.8 per cent) lacked detail in this area.

Shout about your achievements and evidence them

One of the most important parts of your CV is showcasing what you have achieved and, once again, trying to keep these achievements as closely aligned to a given role as possible.

When talking about achievements it is important to keep them tangible and relatable by using values, percentages, and timescales where possible.

Don’t forget the small stuff

As important as the content of your CV is, presentation in the form grammar and formatting is crucial. Claiming that you have a good attention to detail, communication skills or presentation writing abilities and then proceeding to make spelling errors, translate your experience in an unclear manner or display information in an inconsistent format will undermine these skills.

More than six in ten British CVs contain spelling mistakes, so ensuring that you are proofreading your CV thoroughly as well as reviewing formatting and communication style is crucial. We would advise using a spell checker, such as Grammarly, or asking for another set of eyes to ensure that mistakes don’t fall through the cracks.

If you’re looking to take on a new role, we know the industry inside-out and can help you to navigate the market and find a role that fits your skillset – get in touch with our team today: https://www.robertsonbell.co.uk/