How to get a well written CV and become epic

You tend to only think about your Curriculum Vitae (CV) when you are looking for a job. It is important in those circumstances, but it needs to live and breathe between roles and ensure that it is continually updated.

The term ‘curriculum vitae’ is Latin for ‘the story of your life,” so your CV, should be a fundamental document in your professional arsenal. When applying for work, it can be the difference between your getting a role or being over looked.

Why a Well Written CV is Important

When applying for a job, whether it is your first one, a completely new one or a promotion within the same organisation, your CV is the first chance to make a good impression. It can be the thing that sets you apart from the others to the recruiter. All based purely on the words on the page they have in front of them. The importance of a well-written CV cannot be underestimated.

You are the best candidate for any job that you want. We are sure you believe that and if you don’t, you should start thinking that way. Your CV needs to reflect that by showing your skills, your personality, your experience, and everything you can bring to the table. It is going to be the difference between it landing on the ‘interview’ pile and ‘thanks-but-no-thanks’ pile. 

What Makes a Good CV?

Before beginning to craft your perfect CV, the first thing you will need to do is think about the format. It needs to stand out from the rest, even before it has been read by anyone. So, the format and how it reads need to be considered. There are plenty of CV templates online that you can download, often for free. We have an example of a CV format that could help.

Think about what are your standout features for your CV. Pick a few of those and make sure they are going to attract your prospective employer.

A CV also needs to be adaptive. It should also change for each job you apply for. We are not talking about a whole rewrite every time, but different jobs will need different skills and experience. You should be willing to alter your CV slightly so that the specifics they are looking for are brought to the forefront each time you apply for a role.

CVs do not require a photo so do not add one. They also do not need to be full of colour or fancy fonts. They just need to be kept simple and informative. You can stand out in black and white by the way you write about yourself.

Personal Details

Naturally, everyone is different so every CV is going to be different too. There are some aspects of any Naturally, everyone is different so every CV is going to be different too. There are some aspects of any resumé that will need to be included. Any good CV will need to include some personal details about you; your name, the area you live, and some basic contact details (phone number and email address).

Joe Blogs

Northampton: 07123 456 789: joe.blogs@email.co.uk

Finer details are important so consider things like making sure your email address isn’t the one you’ve had since you were a teenager – for example, super_hot_cool_dude@hotmail isn’t going to look great when you’re in your 30s applying for your big career move, keep it professional.

Skills and Experience:

You will naturally need to include your qualifications and this should be the first thing that grabs the recruiter’s attention. Then your job history and expertise, this section should be adaptive.

Start with your most recent role and work backward in time, detailing your skills, experience, and responsibilities. Employers are interested in your latest accomplishments. Also, make sure there is no timescales unaccounted for. If you had a gap year add it in along with a brief but effective reason why.

Personal Summary:

It is an option for many, you should consider adding a personal summary; think of it as a brief profile of yourself.

“I’m a confident graduate who is excited to learn new things. I have great organisational and time keeping skills along with strong IT talent. I’m now looking for my next challenge.”

It’s a great way of getting across your personality and hooking the recruiter to keep reading. When it all comes down to it, YOU are going to be the reason why you get the job so make sure you stand out.

By giving yourself every possible chance to stay in the game create a CV that reflects you in the best light possible.

If you would like any help or support with finding a Graduate role, then please do contact us and check out our LinkedIn for up-to-date job posts.