THE RIGHTS AND WRONGS IN CV DESIGN, CONTENT AND LENGTH. GRAB SOME TOP CV DESIGN AND FORMATTING TIPS HERE

What is the goal of a great CV or resume? It's to start a conversation with a prospective employer and to secure a job, typically to improve your skills and / or income.

So how should you go about this process? The first thing to consider is how most recruiters and hiring managers evaluate CVs. With 100s of applicants for open vacancies, it is increasingly difficult to get the attention of recruiters and talent acquistion professionals. Here are our top 15 tips for mastering the art of CV writing.

1. Your CV should include full contact information (name, phone and email).
2. Make sure your core expertise and career goals are clearly defined at or near the top of your CV.
3. Choose a font format which is easily readable. Whilst unusual fonts are eye-catching, they can be frustrating to read through and you may lose a recruiters attention and interest.
4. Ensure any hyperlinks to your website, linkedin profile or portfolios are current and working. Often these provide valuable additional information so ensure the links are not broken.
5. Use consistent formatting. Your CV should have only one or two font formats, and headers, bullets, and paragraphs should be consistently formatted throughout the document.
6. Clearly document your work or volunteering experience in chronological order, with your most recent experience uppermost.
7. Education, certifications and awards or accolades should be included, with the most senior qualifications listed at the top of your education / certification section.
8. Do not make paragraphs about each career position too lengthy.
9. Summarise your achievements in each role, at the bottom of the paragraph about that work or volunteering experience.
10. Check your CV or resume, for grammatical or spelling errors.
11. If you convert a CV to PDF, open the PDF and make sure all the information has converted correctly.
12. Make sure to highlight experience with software, technology, equipment or machinery for each role you have had, employers needing niche skills will look for specifics.
13. Avoid saying 'have knowledge of' (this could mean you read about something on wikipedia). Be clear and proud of your specific expertise.
14. If you are seeking particular accommodation in your work due to a disability, or travel restriction, make this clear. Companies are increasingly seeking a more diverse workforce, and this will enable future employers not only understand the parameters you're seeking, but may also help them in selecting a more vibrant and varied workforce to join the team.
15. Double-check everything before you share your CV with future employers, this may include not only the standard spelling or grammatical checks, but also asking a mentor, trusted colleague, friend or family member to review your CV and provide you with feedback.

If you feel you need further advice, guidance or help, feel free to review the services we offer here at Career Victory.