Whip your CV into shape with our no-nonsense guide to winning over employers...

Creating the perfect CV

There are no absolute rules

• Think of it like your advert for potential employers so make sure that it is the best it can be. There are certain rules that are worth considering to help guide you, but every company is different so a little creativity can go a long way in getting you noticed.
• Tailor your CV for each job or company you apply for.
• This seems like a long and thankless task, but you are trying to demonstrate why you are the best candidate for that role (or if you are sending your CV on-spec, that company) and a generic CV will not always get across the right information in the right way. Start with a standard CV and change it from there, this will always save you time.
• Make sure you can evidence your skills list. It can be very tempting to say you have ‘excellent organisational skills’, but don’t unless you can give an example that proves this. If you can’t fit it in to your CV it could still come up in interview.
• Never go over two sides.
• Especially when applying for more junior roles you can expect competition to be fierce. With that many CVs to examine, many get thrown in the bin without being read simply because they were too long and difficult to read.
• Keep it simple.

Getting creative with layout and fonts may be tempting, but clarity is paramount. Never use more than two, clear fonts (one for titles, one for content), Tahoma, Verdana and Arial are all ideal. Writing content in anything other than size 9.5 or 10 will make it difficult to read, as will colours, pictures and backgrounds. A little creativity can be good for more creative jobs, but remember it’s the content that will get you that interview.

Try-before-you-buy

1. Test your CV out with friends, family or even your lecturer or teacher. Listen to their opinions and let at least one of them proofread it. After working on your CV for hours it is easy to miss very simple mistakes, even with the best spell checker.
2. Don’t just copy a template
3. They are generic, used a thousand times and employers can spot them a mile off. There is no harm in using one to get you going, as long as you customise it to suit you. Remember, this is your first contact with an employer, so make sure what they see is you, if you get the job it will have been worth the effort.
4. Do not write your salary expectations. If this was not already disclosed in the job listing, it will come out in the interview. How much money you want will not show you can do the job any better, so it is not relevant to a CV. If you are asked specifically, include this in your cover letter.
5. Always include a covering letter.
6. This is where you will get to address specific points made in the job posting and provide a bit more detail about your skills. This is a great time to evidence specific events that prove your abilities and clarify one or two of the more important points not in your CV. Take a look at the article on covering letters.
7. You are not trying to show that you can do the job.

You are showing them why you are the best person to do it. It is very easy to go through job criteria and show how you can do them successfully, but to beat off the competition try and focus on how you can do the tasks particularly well.

Key Facts

• Keep it simple.
• Always include a covering letter.
• Never go over two sides.
• Don't lie or exaggerate.