How to shine on your CV

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PART TWO: How to Shine on your CV

My recent blog covered what to include in the perfect CV. Let’s move on to what you can do to be unique and memorable when discussing your educational and professional achievements.

 1.Be Creative

  • Regardless of what your previous job was/is, use your creativity to emphasise your abilities and skills. You weren’t stacking shelves; you were replenishing stock, easing the customer shopping experience. Give yourself and your role credit. Your employer would not have paid your wage if your job was not important!
  • TIP: I can help with your CV: As the mediator between employers and applicants, I know exactly what skills and attributes employers are searching for and can help you think of ways to demonstrate them.

2.Be Interesting- Would You Employ You?

  • No matter what your role was, employers and recruiters want to see what steps you took to innovate, save time and money, and think outside the box.
  • If you come from a background in retail/sales, did you achieve any special sales targets? Have you ever been employee of the month?
  • Have you ever been trusted to lead a project/ manage the company’s Instagram page/ organise special events within your store?
  • Tell us what extraordinary steps you took in an ordinary job.
  • Tell us why YOU made it a better place.

3. Make it Personal

  •  Use the ‘Hobbies’ and ‘Achievements’ sections to tell me about why you are an interesting person who would fit well into the job you’re applying for.
  • Recruiters are trying to find out who you are as a person, and whether or not this role is something you’d enjoy and thrive in, not just a job to pay the bills.
  • If your hobbies exemplify why you’d enjoy and excel in the role, tell us so!

4.  Be Specific

  •  With that said, you should always be truthful. Use exact figures when discussing your achievements: ‘Supervised a team of four’, ‘Increased online traffic by 31% in two weeks’. It boosts credibility, and often looks more impressive than a vague statement.

5. Show and Tell

  • The same words pop up over and over again when reading CVs: motivated, enthusiastic, hard-working. Be sure to read my up-coming blog on words to avoid on your CV, and what to replace them with. Some better adjectives include versatile, proactive, innovative.
  • That being said, these words are ALL meaningless unless you can demonstrate these skills through your education or work experience.
  • How will a recruiter know you are a strong communicator, if you don’t give an example of when you participated in groupwork, or led your weekly department meeting?
  • Make the statement with pride if it is true but be sure to always back it up.

6.The Perfect Order

  • Now that your content is lined up, it’s time to put it in order. Successful CVs usually follow this order:
  1. Personal details, name, and contact details
  2. Summary Profile: 3-5 summary points
  3. Education
  4. Work Experience
  5. Skills
  6. Awards and Achievements
  7. Hobbies/Interests
  8. References
  • To ensure your CV is perfect, take a copy of the checklist below and make sure you can tick EVERY BOX before submitting it for a job application. Good luck in your job search!

If you need help updating your CV, please contact Cathy on 07751856436