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CV Writing Tips
Our Top Tips To Make Headlines With Your CV
Your CV is going to make your first impression and it is imperative that it is accurate in the details but also gives the reader a flavour of you too. Your CV is a tool to get you through the door to meet prospective employers.
Tweak your CV where appropriate to reflect the particular skills required by specific opportunities or industries – but don’t get too carried away with multiple versions!
A potential employer needs to recognise immediately what skills and experience you have to offer and what you have achieved for past employers & businesses – everyone loves someone with a strong track record!
Although a CV is a highly subjective document here are a few things that we at Headliners like to see in a CV:
- Summary or Profile at the beginning of your CV
- Highlight your main skills, prime experience and your key personal attributes – make the reader want to read on……
- Responsibilities and achievements – list these for each of your most recent jobs and ensure that you identify how you have brought success to a business (if you have!)
- “Nice to Haves” include some brief information about big budgets or teams that you have managed, well known partners or customers that you have worked closely with or specialist skills that are in demand, particularly important for interim candidates.
Presentation is important, especially for marketers, but the best you can be is clear and concise. Bullet points work better than lots of text and remember to choose an easily readable typeface and font size. Don’t go wild with logos or symbols – used in moderation they will enhance your CV but can easily look gimmicky if overused.
Don’t try to cram too much onto 2 pages – use 3 pages if appropriate (some have longer careers than others!) but sometimes less is more. Inform the reader enough for them to invite you to an interview to hear more!
Be truthful in the content of your CV – by all means be positive and make the most of your experience, but remember that both Headliners and employers will soon pick up on inconsistencies, dodgy timelines and overblown assessments of your skills!
Finally, check over your CV to spot any typos – you would be surprised how many people manage to misspell “attention to detail!”