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Nothing is going to guarantee you a job but having the perfect CV will certainly get you noticed. Your CV is the thing that will land you that interview so it’s important to master it. Carrying off a perfect interview and landing the job, well that’s a whole other story. If you’ve got the perfect CV, you can then begin to work on your interview technique. So how do you create the perfect CV?
(A CV is a Curriculum Vitae - known as a resume in the US.)
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The best way to stand out when you write your perfect CV is not to be yourself, or even to be clinically perfect. You need to fill it full of your personality on an enlarged scale. Your specific style and qualities are always going to come across as more subtle when you write a CV, so you need to emphasize your style and personality. Turn up the volume on your personality when you write your perfect CV.
The layout is a big part of what sells your CV. You need to make it easy to read and very inviting. Part of the problem with many CVs is the fact that they are not very inviting or easy to read. They may have large paragraphs and wording that is bunched up and ugly. You need to make your CV very easy to skim read, which is all part and parcel of a good layout.
People who babble on within their CV are the ones who are never hired. You need to start by over-writing your CV. Write too much on each and every section, then cut down each section and make it more concise. Keep in the very good bits and the valid points, and remove any parts that do not efficiently make a point, or that are wordy.
You should not lie on your CV, but the perfect CV is never going to exist if you do not bend the truth a little. Some of this “truth bending” is going to occur within your references section. Give references that you know are going to be good. Address your references to people in your last job who liked you. If nobody did, or if you left without notice, then enter your job previous to that one in your reference section.
Your employer is not going to want to go through your entire employment history to see if you have relevant experience. Group up the jobs that show you have experience and put the group near the top of your previous employment section.
The perfect CV is error free. You need to check for accuracy, consistent style, technical errors and typos. For example, people make technical errors such as saying they worked for one company for six years but only having that job as between “2010 - 2012” on their previous experience section. Also, proofread for typos that spellcheckers do not pick up on. You would be surprised how many people send in CVs that claim they are a fast “leaner.”
When they write that they want a dedicated, or honest, or positive person, it is because they have had trouble with negligent staff, dishonest staff, or negative and moody staff. This means they are sensitive to certain words, so use the words that they use in their ad in your CV.
They do not want to know that your husband is a judge or how many kids you have. They also do not need to know about the six weeks you had off because of a doctor’s note claiming you had a “low mood.”
This is a very clever trick, and one that is going to put your perfect CV one-step ahead of all the others. Put positive statements about yourself in clumps of three and it will read as far more persuasive. It is a little like a boxing match where the burly guy in shiny shorts hits the other guy with three quick shots, jab, jab, knockout. For example, I am hard working, diligent and loyal. Or, “I am a fast learner, work well in a group, and have not had a sick day for the last five years.” Notice how the best factor is left until the end.
I hope these tips help you write the perfect CV to land your dream job. Has anyone ever given you any CV writing tips you feel compelled to pass on?
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