How to Polish Your CV for a New Job Hunt

We all want our CV’s to stand out the best and make an employer want to interview us for the role they have available but how do you make sure your CV is as polished as it possibly can be?

Below is some tips and advice on how to make sure your CV is the best.

Give your CV a make over

The most important thing to do before sending your CV out is to give it a makeover. Make sure that it looks different. Not full of lots of designs unless it’s a creative role you are going for, but a simple and clear layout which provides the information an employer wants to see straight away. Make it stand out and adapt it to the role and industry that you are applying to.

Rewrite and update your personal profile

Has it been a while since you wrote your CV, does it still sound like you are just entering your career even though you have been working for 3 years? This is where you need to make sure that your personal profile, the opening statement on your CV sells you, your skills and experience. If this section does not grab a future employer then they will not continue reading, you need to give them something that excites them in this first section.

Get someone to proof read and edit your CV with a fresh perspective

It’s always good to get someone else to read something that you have read a hundred times because they will read it differently and be able to see areas that perhaps you have not considered. If you can ask a friend or family member to look over it for you not only for spelling and grammar but for advice or areas that they think might read better. It’s always helpful to see how other people interpret information that you already know.

Make sure you have the right buzz words for the job that you are applying for

Look at the job that you are applying for and put in some of those key words into your CV so to an employer it sounds like you are experienced for their role. It also allows an employer to pick out the words that they will be looking for which will make it a quicker decision when thinking about who to interview.

Tailor your skills and role to the job that you are applying for 

It may sound like a lot of work but if you want the job it is worth putting the effort in and rewrite areas of your CV for each different job you apply for so that it is purely targeted to a certain industry or role.

Update your skills and experiences

When you learn something new or do something new, make sure you update this on your CV so that you do not forget to include this at a later date. This could be a new computer package, a training course you have been on or a new skill you are now experienced in.

Above all the most important way to polish a CV is to take your time. Consider the role you are applying for, the company and the industry and adapt the wording and your skills and experience to match this job profile. Employers want to read a CV that matches the skills they have in their own mind so follow the job advert or job description carefully.

image by: desiitaly