How to make your CV stand out

Your CV is your way of showing someone why they should hire you! Put it together well and showcase the best of your abilities. Follow our top tips to avoid having your CV overlooked.

Short and sweet

No one wants to read pages and pages of writing, especially not busy employers! Keep it within two pages at the most.

Tailor it

We’ve all been there; you’re applying for hundreds of jobs and the task is getting a bit boring, so you whizz your CV off to lots of different employers without changing it to fit each job. This does save time but it’s not advisable. Research the company and find out what makes them tick, what they do and why they do it, and adjust your CV to fit this.

Don’t leave gaps

You might not have had a job for a while and that’s OK, as long as you put a positive spin on it. Did you do any volunteering? Focus on studying? Maybe you went travelling? Whatever it was, be honest and explain the good you got out of it.

Looks are important

Well they are when it comes to your CV! Your CV is a reflection of you so you want it to look good. Make sure you use a clear font, in a legible size. Keep your CV organised by putting things into sections, for example you could have an Employment or Education section –make sure you make these bold or underlined to create clear sections. Don’t miss out on a job simply because of silly things such as spelling mistakes or a bad layout.

Tell the truth

It’s fine to put a positive spin on things that you have done on your CV but it’s another thing to lie. If you get caught out, you risk losing the job if you get it and you look a bit silly. Lies are often discovered – if you say you can speak French and then someone French comes into your place of work and your boss expects you to speak to them, you’ll look a bit stupid when all you can say is one word that you learnt during GCSEs. 

Do the maths

If you raised lots of money for charity at your last job for example, tell the employer. Explain how much you raised; it makes it seem like less of a bold claim and more like you’ve actually made a difference.

Use buzzwords

You may not understand them but if you use the keywords that the company have used to describe the job you’re applying for or have written on their website, you’ll instantly seem like you know what you’re talking about. Bit confused? Don’t worry! Have a look online and do a bit of research. For example, a marketing assistant may need to know what SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is.

If you do the above, you’ll be well on your way to getting an interview for wherever you’re applying. Why not take a look at the Careers Service page that also features do’s and don’ts for CV writing.

Now you’ve sorted your CV out, why not follow our students’ top tips for finding and getting a job.