Hannah Simons
Your CV is the first point of contact between you and your potential employer, which is why it's essential to get it right.
Here are Furza's top 10 tips for writing a great CV.
1. Make your personal statement stand out
Your personal statement is the initial introduction to who you are and why you want to work in that specific sector. It is your initial opportunity to impress the employer and put your best foot forward. If your statement is too generic, it will lack authenticity. Tailor it to the job you are applying for if you can.
2. Make your CV clear to read
How your CV looks at first glance will be the reason an employer will decide to read it in more detail. Even if your skills match the role, a confusing CV will be quickly rejected. Make sure you are writing your CV in a logical order with clear sections and headings.
3. Don't make it too text heavy
A good CV is clear, concise, and covers relevant information. Having an overwhelming amount of text in your CV will make it harder for employers to read and extract the appropriate information. We recommend reducing texts to brief bullet points or shorter sentences and not using more than two sides of A4.
4. Only include relevant information
Only include relevant information that the employer would want to know, such as your personal information, grades achieved, the jobs you have worked in the past and the skills you have gained from working at these jobs. If you have a lot of experience and/or previous positions, you do not have to include them all, unless, of course, they are relevant to the role you’re applying for.
5. Tailor your CV to the role
If you are applying for different job roles, make sure you are tailoring each CV to the specific job you are applying for. Reading the job description and matching the requirements to your specific skill set will go a lot further than applying with a generic CV. You don’t have to re-write you CV for each role, just adapt it so all the information is relevant.
6. Include your soft skills
Employers can receive hundreds of applications for one role, many employers tend to skim read CV’s for relevant pieces of information. Including a brief list of your soft skills (i.e. software knowledge, experience, qualifications) that are relevant to the role you are applying to is a great way to capture attention.
7. Add references
Although they are no longer required, including references in your CV is helpful if the employer wants to contact any of your previous employers to understand more about your experience. If you have never worked before you can use a teacher or tutor as a referee. Try to include two if possible.
8. Include your hobbies and personal interests
At Furza, we would always recommend including a brief description of your hobbies and interests. Including hobbies is a great way to form a personal connection with the employer and provides them with personalised insight into you as an individual. Make sure to keep them relevant.
9. Check for errors
Checking through your CV for any spelling or grammatical mistakes shows your attention to detail and doesn't distract the reader with avoidable errors. Keep in mind font size and colour, ensuring that your CV is readable online and in a printable format.
10. Include your achievements outside of your academics.
Including achievements outside of your education is a great way to include achievements that go above and beyond the responsibilities that are typically required through academics. This is an opportunity to show how your achievements and previous experience have given you the skills to make you a relevant candidate for the role. Make sure you draw on achievements that really make you stand out from the crowd.
Apply directly to one of our live sales roles with your CV today.
