We understand scouring the job market can often be like a minefield, GPW Recruitment are committed to making your next career move as simple and as easy as possible. Our customer service starts even before the application stage, with your CV. A CV is supposed to assist your application but done incorrectly or poorly can seriously hinder your dream move.
Below are some tips for perfecting your CV and presenting the best possible version of yourself.
Ensure these are in a place where they can be easily found.
We recommend at the top of the first page and the details required are.
This is by no means essential, however it is something we recommend. The benefit of a detailed person profile allows our consultant to further improve their knowledge of your personality and work ethic. The more we understand, the better we can advertise your skills and competencies to the client. Although a fairly detailed account is preferred we don’t need the full story we advise 2-4 sentences maximum, located just underneath your contact details.
Building your CV is all about exposing your USP(s) in the best possible fashion, displaying your most recent educational achievement is vital however if you’ve got something you think might separate you from the crowd. Make sure you include that aswell.
Make sure you position your highest level of qualification first and work backwards from there. List any accreditations and make sure you specify the dates and applicable governing bodies. Tailor your listings to best match the types of roles you’ll be applying (if you can.)
Make sure you position your most recent / current role first. After each of your previous roles include a section on the tasks you undertook, who you reported to and did anyone report to you and equally as important when you worked there. It’s pretty much a who, what, where, when and why. As previous, tailor it to the types of roles you are applying for to best appeal to the client. And if there are any sizable gaps in your employment history, please don’t ignore them.
Whilst these are unlikely going to land you a job they may spark further interest and questions from the client when it comes to the interview. The client may be keen to get to know what you’re really like, So be honest, have something interesting to talk about – talk about it, but aim to clearly mark the line on the work/life balance, the client will like to see that the job will be the priority.
It is common practice to provide two professional references when applying to a new job. This will be your current employer / most recent employer and another employer from your work history or academic reference, whilst character references have been somewhat phased we may accept them depending on individual circumstances.
Have you done something amazing? Raised money for charity, completed an extreme challenge? Whether you’ve done it in your personal or professional life, employers want to hear about it. However keep it short, you may even want to leave them with potential questions. It’ll just leave more to talk about at the interview.
Correct spelling and grammar is a vital part of getting your CV right. The least you can do is run a spell check on your full CV and ensure you have read it at least twice before applying to a job. Unfortunately any errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar can raise doubts over your attention to detail. It may even be a good idea to consult and extra pair of eyes prior to submitting just incase there is anything you’ve missed.
It is also vital you make sure you have not repeated any particular parts of your CV too many times. The last impression you want to give to anyone is that you are trying to pack out your CV or have not proof read it.