10 Steps To The Perfect CV

Tips for the perfect CV

Here’s 10 steps to help you towards creating the perfect CV:

1. PERSONAL INFORMATION:

Include your name, address, Email and contact telephone number/s. You do not need to include your middle name.

2. SUMMARY OR TITLE

Include a single paragraph summarising your expertise and experience or a title that describes you and directly matches the role you are applying for.

3. SKILLS AND STRENGTHS

Bullet point your skills and strengths to make it easy for the reader quickly identify what value you can bring to the role and to the company.

4. EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

List your previous roles in reverse chronological order being sure to include a description of the company and your role along with your duties and responsibilities.

5. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

For each role, you should include 3-6 key achievements that demonstrate your competencies and excellence. Be sure to quantify achievements wherever possible e.g. Boosted productivity by 60% through the introduction of an innovative staff bonus scheme.

6. QUALIFICATIONS AND TRAINING

Only include qualifications and training that are relevant to the role you are applying for.

7. PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

If you are a member or associate member of any professional organisations you should include details of these. It increases your credibility and shows you are serious about your own professional development.

8. INTERESTS

Only include interests if they are relevant to the job or demonstrate qualities sought by the employer. For example, if you’re applying for a job as a business manager at a golf club and you’ve been an avid golfer for 15 years, you should include this in your CV.

9. KEYWORD-RICH

Identity the most common keywords in your industry and make sure these appear throughout your CV. This is not only important because of CV scanning software, human eyes will also skim your CV looking for key words. If they don’t appear you are unlikely to be shortlisted.

10. PROOFREAD

One of the biggest mistakes people make when creating a CV is having misspelled words, poor grammar or typing errors. After you’ve given your CV a once over, get someone to carefully proofread your CV for any errors.
This information is intended to be a general guide. The content and layout of your CV will vary depending on the industry and the role you are applying for.