When you’re applying for jobs, your aim is to impress potential recruiters. The chances are that whoever reads your CV has seen plenty of others throughout their career, so they’re a bit of a pro. This means that they know exactly what to look for and that they’ll pick up on even the tiniest of faux pas.
Creating a great CV can take time and a good deal of effort. For this reason, job hunters can get so distracted by trying to sell themselves that they overlook the basics. Before you send your CV anywhere, make sure that you’ve included everything a recruiter will want to see.
To make it a little easier for you, we’ve put together a checklist of five important things employers will be looking for when reading your CV.
1. Contact details
We know, we know – it seems super obvious. However, you’d be surprised by how many CVs are sent with no contact details included! Whether you’re submitting your CV to a job board database or applying directly for a job, it’s essential to include all of your relevant contact information.
Different companies prefer different modes of contact; some may prefer to email you while others will call you. To ensure that you don’t miss out, include both your email address and phone number in your CV.
Another important thing to double check is whether or not your contact details are correct. Sure, you know your address and phone number like the back of your hand! However, it’s very easy to make a typo or accidentally add an extra digit. Carefully read through your contact details to make sure that you’ve typed them correctly. Additionally, if you’re using an old CV, don’t forget to update any contact details that may have changed.
2. The right skills and experience
This will usually form the majority of the body of your CV. Depending on how long your professional history is, you may choose to condense or omit certain roles. If you do, it’s wise to make sure that your relevant experience (i.e. that which the employer is looking for) really shines.
The same goes for your skills. Carefully review the job advert to see what skills they are looking for and if you possess any/all of them, get them on that CV right away! Desirable skills differ from business to business, but these are some common ones that employers tend to value in candidates.
• Communication
• Customer service/focus
• IT competence
• Problem-solving abilities
• Ability to work in a team
• Effective time management/organisation
3. Proof
It’s all well and good reeling off a list of skills and attributes that you possess. However, what will really impress a potential employer is if you can demonstrate that what you’re saying is true. You don’t need to provide case studies and lengthy examples, just be smart with what you write.
For instance, if you wanted to demonstrate your teamwork abilities, don’t simply state “I work well in a team.” Instead, say something like: “During my time at [COMPANY NAME] I worked closely with my colleagues to achieve [RESULT], demonstrating my ability to work well within a team.” Sounds much better, doesn’t it?
There is another way of putting your money where your mouth is, and that is using facts and numbers to back up your points. This is particularly important in senior or target driven roles. It’s not enough to say that you hit targets or get results, back up your claims with figures where possible.
4. Who you are
Of course, the facts and figures are important to an employer. That being said, don’t underestimate the value of adding some details about yourself on your CV. Adding a personal statement outlining your professional attributes, career objectives and some information about your interests outside of work is just as important.
Employers want to hire new recruits that are perfect for the role and the business. This means that you’ll need the right experience, but you’ll also need the right attitude and personality. While it’s difficult to truly demonstrate these through your CV, adding appropriate personal information will allow recruiters to get some feel of who you are (and whether or not they like you).
Smart job hunters will tailor these sections to match the position they are applying for. For example, it won’t do you any favours to say that you excel when working independently on your CV if a role will require you to work closely with a team.
5. No silly mistakes
We’re talking spelling and grammar! Again, it sounds like an obvious one, but poor grammar and spelling mistakes could have an effect on your application. In the eyes of an employer, a sloppy CV says a lot about who you are. This is especially true when you are applying for roles that require thorough work and attention to detail, for example administrative or analytical roles.
Don’t rely simply on your computer spellchecker; not all mistakes will be highlighted as incorrect words. For example, one slip of the finger and ‘Store Manager’ soon becomes ‘Store Manger’.
The key to making sure your CV is perfect is proofreading. Read through your CV in full. Then read it again. Then get your friend to read it. Then get a family member to read it. Then get your cat to read it. OK, maybe you won’t need to go that far, but two sets of eyes are definitely better than one. Spelling and grammatical errors are easy to resolve, so don’t miss out on a great opportunity for something so simple!
TOP TIP: Try Grammarly’s Free Grammar Checker. With this fantastic tool you can instantly correct all grammar and spelling errors. The great thing about Grammarly is that it can detect the context of your writing and therefore spot errors that your usual spell checker can’t!
Still think your CV is ready to send?
Have a read through your CV with these top 5 tips in mind and make any necessary changes as you go. That way you can make sure your CV has everything an employer is looking for when they read it. Remember, your CV is your first chance to impress a recruiter – make sure that yours ticks all the boxes!
What’s next?
Once you’ve perfected your CV, be sure to upload it to CV-Library so that employers can get in touch with you about relevant jobs!
