eRecruit Assist

As everyone involved in recruitment will tell you, your CV is your first chance to shine in front of a recruitment agent, or the company itself. It is an opportunity to stand out from the crowd so that you are selected for the next round of the recruitment process. Unfortunately, many people, even those applying for jobs, don’t always get it right.

Brevity

Say what you need to say and no more. CVs that are more than 2-3 pages long are never read all the way through. If you can condense your work experience and qualifications into 2 neat pages, it is more likely to be read. The way you present the information in your CV is a key pointer to how you’ll present your work. Rambling is unlikely to secure you an executive appointment.

Relevance

Make your CV relevant to the job you are applying for. Don’t make up things you haven’t done, but highlight the experience you have that makes you suitable for the role. Recruiters are looking for people who have the right experience and skills, so know what they are looking for and make sure they see it in your CV.

Readability

Don’t use a tiny font that’s hard to read in order to get everything on a single page. Similarly, don’t use lots of graphics and symbols or get carried away making text bold, italic and underlined. All these things serve to make the CV less readable.

Order

Always put your work experience in reverse order, starting with the job you hold now. This means that whoever is handling the job opportunity will be able to see your experience immediately, rather than having to read your entire career history. If you have been working for some years, it’s not necessary to list your school qualifications by subject. If you have a degree, in most cases, you won’t need to give prior educational qualifications unless they are particularly relevant to the role. Always put your leisure and hobbies section at the end of your CV, just before your referees.

Quality

Writing your CV needs to be a reflection of you. If you are sending a printed version, send it on good quality, but not textured or coloured paper, preferably with a matching envelope and a succinct, polite cover letter. If you are submitting your CV by email, make sure that the file can be opened easily and that the CV presents on the screen in the same way as it would on paper.

eRecruit Assist specialise in Fixed Fee recruitment. To register your CV on our database or to apply for a specific vacancy please follow this link or email us at enquiries@erecruitassist.com