Is your CV working for you?

Checking out job boards and dusting off your CV is generally the first step of the job search. But does your CV reveal your skills and experience or is it a laundry list of ‘buzz words’ that you hope will attract a response.

Having been in the recruitment industry for well over 20 years, I find myself frequently advising candidates to make changes and additions to their CV to better represent their experience. Your CV can be the first impression you give a hiring manager or recruiter, and according to ‘Google’, six to eight seconds is the average time taken to review resume information before making a yes or no decision. So how do you make your CV stand out? My recommendation would be to spend as much care and effort when developing your CV as you would when sitting your final exams; well maybe that’s a step too far… but you get where I am going! Your career is your future and documenting your skills and expertise in your CV is an important part of a successful job search. I review technical CVs on a daily basis, and I look out for a well written profile, a well-documented chronological work history, starting with your current or most recent job, your responsibilities, education, and key skills and achievements. It is important to double, and triple check your document for typos, spelling, and grammatical errors, and remember to always include your contact details.

There are so many examples and templates online, which give a starting point, then it’s over to you to showcase ‘who you are’ and ‘what you offer’.

Happy Job hunting.