Every CV is unique to that individual person and nobody else is going to have exactly the same education, qualifications and experience. However many people make the mistake of designing a CV that does not allow them to stand out from the bundle of other CV’s they will be competing with. In order to have the best possible chance of interview the following five factors should always be taken into account.
Why should an employer choose you over the other two hundred applicants? What special ability do you have to bring to the position? Employers don’t just want to know how many computer packages you have used they also want to know how you can use this knowledge to make money for them by increasing efficiency in the office.
2. Keep it simple but informative.
An employer will only spend seconds glancing at your CV before he decides to either investigate it further or place it aside. That’s why it is imperative to make your CV visually attractive, easy to read and your attributes and experience should be clearly and concisely listed in a way that will make the potential employer want to interview you.
While it is a laborious process to rewrite each CV to specifically target the audience you have in mind this is the most effective method of getting an interview. A little bit more effort now really does pay dividends in the longer term.
The importance of proofreading your CV many times and making sure every word is spelt correctly cannot be overemphasized. As well as this make sure all your employment dates add up and that any contact email addresses, phone numbers or web addresses are still correct. Also never leave any period unaccounted for on your CV interviewers will ask what you were doing then.
If you have gone on any courses, or have acquired additional skills even if it is just from voluntary or casual work always remember to add new information to your CV and perhaps you might need to remove older information that might now be no longer relevant.