CVs: Love them? Hate them? You still need them.
First impressions stick. And your CV is going to be your first impression.
To us. And to any prospective employer.
So follow these helpful hints to make sure you make the right first impression:
Make it easy to read
- Use clear formatting with simple fonts
- Include bullet points to break up text (but whatever you do, don’t bullet every sentence)
- Stick to one page to outline key academic and work achievements. Give an idea of the breadth of your experience
- Use a second page to detail more specific projects. Don’t forget to highlight impressive facts and figures including size of teams and budget of projects you’ve managed
Include all relevant information
- Academic record and work experience in reverse chronological order
- Degree result and A-Levels
- Precise role, company, length of time worked, specific responsibilities
Differentiate yourself
- Stick to the rules above but add your own individuality
- Demonstrate attention to detail by checking spelling, grammar and punctuation
Focus on transferable skills
- Think through transferable experiences. You might not have managed a team but you may have mentored a colleague. You will have used communication or analytical skills even if in a different context
- Draw out the relevant parts of past roles. Be sure to tailor your CV to each specific job you apply for
- Why not try out some interim positions in your chosen field before making the leap? This will give you invaluable experience for your CV and help you to know which path is the right one for you.