Top 10 CV Tips

We have prepared a top ten list of CV Tips to put you ahead of the competition. With these simple improvements to a CV, you can rise above 90% of the competition who don't do their research and don't know what employers really want to see.

1. Experience, experience, experience! - after some basic details about yourself, always list your most recent job, the skills you used and experience you gained, and then do it again for any relevant positions. If you don't have any relevant job experience, you can use extra-curricular activites in your spare time or in education. Anything to show some experience is better than nothing.
2. Education - these days, you need to show some aptitude in academia to even get a look in for some jobs. A lot of the time, the type of degree doesn't matter as long as it shows your capacity to learn and think intelligently.
3. Clear structure; clear type - keep your CV to two pages maximum; black text on white background; 11pt Arial, Helvetica or Calibri. Comic Sans is a no-no here
4. What are your passions? - half of being suitable for a role is in qualifications and experience; however, the rest is personality. Who you are; what you stand for; what makes you tick. How do you communicate that? Through your writing and your interests. Make them believe in you.
5. Keep the personal, personal - while it's good saying you like to travel; a recruiter doesn't want to hear about your family hols in Paris. Any state what is true and matches the personal qualities of the role their recruiting for.
6. No typos - when you've finished writing your CV, read through it. Then ask someone to read through it. Then you read through it again. Recruiters are looking for reasons to reject you, so don't give them any.
7. Get social - set up a blog, become a trend setter on Twitter or a key influencer on Facebook. Businesses are keen on candidates who keep up with what's going on in the world, who are actively engaged and interested in discussion.
8. Know your IT - we live in a technological world, and jobs now require that you be able to use a computer properly to write emails, compose reports, plan a budget in a spreadsheet and work on a presentation. Although it is unlikely you'll be discriminated against if you're not in a technical industry, these are important skills to have.
9. It's the details - basics facts you need on a CV include your name, mobile number, email and work dates. If any of these things are missing then recruiters grow suspicious of why or assume you're careless. It's also worth noting that you don't need to include your date of birth or house address.
10. Be clear and concise; don't be kooky - lastly, recruiters value two things: brevity and clarity. Keep everything structured in a way that makes logical sense, and although it's good to be attention-grabbing, don't try to be funny or clever as it rarely works. Be professional.

You can find more information about how to write a CV on CV-Library.co.uk.

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