Whether you're looking to continue in the same job role this year or looking for a new venture, it is always good to have your CV up to date with all your achievements, skills and experiences.
So today I wanted to share with you some information on what to include in your CV, software that is affordable and easy to use to help create the layout of your CV, ways in which you can stand out and the do's / don'ts when it comes to finalising your CV.
This information has been inspired from two recourses - Prospects and Reed.co.uk therefore please feel free to click the links to check out their articles.
What to Include:
Sometimes when creating your CV, it can be a bit confusing to know what to include and what not to include therefore I have made a list below of the top 7 subheadings to include on your CV:
Contact Details - these are important as if they're not included, how could the potential employer get hold of you? Therefore include: name, phone number, email address and home address to your CV so you are easily contactable.
Profile - this is telling the employer a little bit about you in a short summary. You don't want to go into too much detail / depth so a couple of sentences will do. Your covering letter will cover the rest.
Eduction - depending on when you did your education will depend on the significance to go into detail. For example if you have had a lot of career experience and have been out of school for 10+ years than going into detail may not be so necessary. However if you are fresh out of university and looking for a graduates job then the more detail the better.
Work Experience - this is obviously quite an important one and will enable your potential employer or the interview gauge where you have previously worked and what skills you gave to the role and how those skills will help in your new potential role.
Skills and Achievements - you could include additional courses you have taken, any badges or certificates you have earned along with what skills you have that will be beneficial to the job role.
Interests - it is nice for the employer to be able to see your personality and interest through your CV before meeting you therefore make a note and share what interests you have.
References - by providing these you are agreeing that your new employer is able to contact your past employers to get a reference.
Ways to Create Your CV:
Canva - I absolutely love this site for anything design / creative! I would highly recommend using this site if you're looking to add something a bit different to your CV and create something that stands out from the rest. There are templates on Canva that you can edit and amend to suit you and your personality.
Word - you could use Microsoft Word or Pages if you're an Apple user to help layout your CV. Again there are features such as shapes tools to create your designs but primarily I would use a word processor more for a covering letter.
How To Stand Out:
Most job roles are competitive therefore you want to be one of the CV's that stands out from the rest! Here are a few ways how...
- Highlight your changes and growths throughout your different roles
- Empathise on the results rather than the responsibilities
- Adapt your CV to the job role you're apply for (but don't be dishonest)
- Make your open few lines on your CV engaging, grab the interviewers attention!
Do's and Don'ts:
I thought I would also include a few do's and don'ts when it comes to CV's which I have seen on reed.co.uk and wanted to share with you
Do's
- Keep it short and sweet
- Choose a professional font
- Make sure your layout is logical
- Emphasise your strengths
- Use bullet points
Don'ts
- Be afraid of white space
- Try to include too much
- Include information that isn't relevant
- Experiment with font size
- Forget your cover letter
I hope this post has given you some guidance when it comes to updating your CV. If you're looking for more professional/career advice then please do refer to the sites above.
To get you started on rewriting your CV or perhaps you are writing your first one, I have included a template that you can fill out before going straight in with your finished version. You can print this template multiple times and you can download it here.
This blog post is Day 16 out of the January Series where I will be uploading 31 blog posts to help you kick start your 2021 in the right way and to help you become the best version of you.
Leave a comment below if you have any blog post ideas that you would like me to do in the future
See you tomorrow for another blog post! :)
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