CV hints and tips

Keep your CV concise – a CV should be no more than two pages long. If this doesn’t sound like much, remember such tricks as having smaller margins, or using a smaller font (but not too small!). If in doubt, give us a call and we can talk you through ways of formatting your CV to make the most of the space you have. Remember, you are allowed to take things off your CV as they become less relevant for example, if you are a third jobber, we probably don’t need to know what you did for work experience after your GCSEs!

Use bullet points – long, wordy paragraphs are hard to read, especially if you are trying to pick out relevant experience. Using bullet points can help highlight your skills and make it much easier for the client to check your CV against their job spec.

Tailor your CV – remember that not all jobs are the same, and it can really help to bring your relevant experience to the forefront of your CV. We have the capacity to hold more than one CV for a candidate, so you can tailor your CV to the industry to which you are applying.

Do your research – make sure you have the right experience on your CV, there is nothing more frustrating for agencies and clients than ploughing through CVs of candidates that clearly aren’t right for the job. If in doubt, call us and ask, we’ll be happy to advise you on whether or not you have enough (or indeed, too much!) experience for the role.

Account for all your time – explain, if necessary in a covering note, any gaps on your CV and make sure that each section (Employment, Education, Other) is set out chronologically – most recent first – so that your CV reads smoothly.

CHECK, CHECK and CHECK AGAIN – nothing undermines an application more than a careless typo or formatting error. Get a friend to look over your CV before you send it off, a fresh pair of eyes might pick up on something you have missed. One obvious mistake is all it takes for a CV to make it from the ‘maybe’ pile to the ‘no way’ pile.