In today’s competitive employment market, a good CV is a must. This document could help you to rise above the competition and land the roles you’re after. With this in mind, here are some top tips to help you ensure your CV is up-to-scratch.
Improve your qualifications
No amount of waffle on your CV will distract employers from the fact that you’re lacking the relevant qualifications. So, if your education and training won’t get you the jobs you want, now’s the time to take action. Regardless of your age and life stage, there is always the chance to enhance your qualifications. If you can’t commit to full-time study at college or university, you have the option of learning from home. This can allow you to fit your studies around existing work or family commitments. As distance learning specialist Oxford Open Learning states, remote study allows people to work towards qualifications whenever and wherever is most convenient for them.
Before you sign up to a course though, make sure it’s relevant to your intended career path. After all, you’ll need to commit time and effort to gaining qualifications, so you want to make sure you choose the right ones.
Consider gaining experience through work placements and internships
Of course, employers don’t just look for evidence of qualifications when they’re deciding whether to give you a job. They also focus on your experience. If you’re new to the employment market or you’re trying to change the direction of your career, this can present a problem. To bolster your chances of landing the roles you want, it might help to do some work placements or internships. These roles may be unpaid, but they can provide you with invaluable experience and they can help to make the difference when it comes to landing paid positions further down the line.
Get the tone and content spot on
It’s not just what you say on your CV that counts, but how you say it as well. Employers often have to wade through hundreds of these documents when they’re seeking suitable candidates, so if you’re to stand a chance of getting noticed, your CV will have to stand out – and for all the right reasons. Spelling and grammar mistakes are a big no no, and avoid using meaningless jargon. For example, steer clear of phrases like ‘results orientated’ or ‘highly motivated’. Instead, provide concrete examples of why you’re the best person for the job, drawing directly on your experience and qualifications.
Take the time to adapt your CV for each application
Don’t fall into the trap of seeing your CV as an immutable document that you can fire out to all potential employers. Even the best of these files should be seen as a starting point that needs to be adapted to suit each individual application. After all, the strengths you need to showcase will vary according to the job adverts you’re responding to. Tailoring your CV to reflect these differing requirements does take extra time and effort, but it’s well worth it.