8 QUICK CV TIPS

Your CV is often the first impression a potential new employer will have of you (unless they already know you). Accordingly, it should be drafted with care to increase your chances of getting an interview.

Here are some tips that should hopefully assist you: 

1.     Keep your CV to no more than 3 pages maximum - this may get trickier the longer your career becomes, but the goal here is to pack in as much relevant detail as possible whilst minimising page usage.

2.     Choose one simple font for the entire CV - (such as Arial or Calibri in Word). Also, choose one font size for the entire CV (font size 11 is recommended).

 3.     Your CV should ideally consist of two colours - black & white! There’s no need to have multiple colours on your CV. This may detract from the CVs content, and also the different colours may affect the font’s clarity if your CV is printed in greyscale/black & white.

4.     Avoid photographs of yourself! - whilst photographs are appropriate for LinkedIn, they tend to take up important space on a CV, and are not necessary at this stage.

5.     Keep it relevant - at this stage your prospective employer does not need to know your children’s names, how many pets you have, which football team you support etc. If you get the job, you can discuss this more with your new colleagues over the coming years.

6.     Sell yourself - don’t be shy to list any relevant professional achievements and accolades. Also, try to list a minimum of 6 bullet-points for both your Responsibilities & Achievements for each role on your CV.

7.     Tailor your CV to the specific role you are applying for - there is nothing wrong with highlighting certain elements of your career that are more relevant for a particular role. One version of your CV alone will not necessarily be suitable for the multitude of roles you may apply for during the course of your career.

8.     Only give your CV to trusted recruiters - ensure that your recruiter will only send your CV to their clients once they have your permission. Bad recruiters may spam your CV to multiple hiring managers without you knowing, and this will only weaken your personal brand.

Matt Marshall is a Director and founder of Greysilver, a recruitment consultancy specialising in providing staffing solutions within the banking & insurance sectors.

If you found this article useful, please share it with others who may also be interested.

You can find more Greysilver articles here.