Writing a great CV is crucial to getting your foot in the door. Its purpose is to demonstrate that you have the necessary skills (and hopefully some complementary ones) to do the job you are applying for. Use these tips to turn your CV from good to great, and get the role you have been pining for.
With recruiters moving online, include your LinkedIn profile URL on your CV. Consider customising your Linkedin profile URL which would help in building your personal contacts and make it more memorable to the recruiters.
This section is sometimes called a profile or career summary. It enables the recruiter to quickly identify what value you can bring to the organisation and is an important factor to help the recruiter decide whether to read on. Keep this section short, around two to three sentences in length. It should summarise your career goals, unique experience and achievements, and knowledge or skills that are relevant to the role you are applying for.
The key here is “Show, don’t tell”. Avoid empty self-promotion and substantiate with details on your achievements. Let the results speak for themselves!
Use positive action verbs to make your CV more impactful. Avoid over-using words such as “do”, “make” and “led”. Add more colours to your CV with the following words.
If you’ve led a project…
If you’ve worked on a project…
If you’ve reduced costs for a project…
If you’ve increased sales, revenue etc…
If you’ve improved something…
If you’ve managed a team…
For seasoned professionals, this section should come after your experience and employment history section. Start with your highest degree first. Some information that you should include are:
Where possible, include references to add credibility. Be absolutely sure to consult your referees beforehand and obtain their consent before you nominate them. This avoids getting yourself an unprepared or unfavourable review.
While this may be a common practice particularly for client-facing roles, it is not a requirement. Many recruiters would search for your profile on LinkedIn after viewing your CV, and from there, they should be able to view your photo. On this note, remember to keep your LinkedIn profile photo professional.
Your age doesn’t affect your ability to do the job, so leave this out as it is illegal for employers to ask about your age.
Like your age, your marital status and dependents shouldn’t affect your ability to do the job. It is also illegal for employers to ask these details during the hiring process.
Now that you’re armed with a great CV, check out our latest roles and apply away!
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