One of the most important steps in your job search is crafting a CV. It’s your chance to make a great first impression and present yourself as the best candidate for the job. But if you’re not careful, you could end up looking like just another generic applicant. To avoid this fate, here are 5 tips for crafting a quality CV that will get you noticed by employers.
Headline
The first thing to consider is the headline. The headline is what will convince your potential employer to keep reading. Use a creative and eye-catching headline that says something about you and what you do. It should also clearly state your employment status and qualifications for the position.
Objective
A resume objective is an important tool in the job hunt. While it can be tempting to keep the first section of your resume concise and simple, you should ensure that this section communicates what type of job you’re looking for. This will help employers quickly identify if you’re a good fit for their open position.
Professional Experience
One of the most important sections in your CV is your professional experience. You want to include all relevant positions you have held and include related details like how long you were employed at that position and what your job responsibilities were.
For example, if you had a position as a Marketing Manager for a year and a half, then you want to include it on your CV. But make sure to put this in the right section – in this case, Professional Experience. Your goal is to demonstrate that you have the skills necessary for the job.
So, include any relevant tasks or projects that you completed during your time at that company – for example if there was an event or marketing campaign that you led during your time at that company. It always looks good when applicants show what they are capable of doing with their work.
Education
Education is a huge part of your CV. It should be the first thing listed and should include your education history in reverse chronological order.
Achievements, Skills, And Hobbies
Make sure to include your achievements, skills, and hobbies on your CV. If you’ve been in the same role for a while, it might be difficult to list all of your accomplishments. But you can still make them shine by highlighting what you accomplished in previous roles.
For example, if you were a manager of social media for one company and then became the head of social media for another company, list both companies on your CV under “Social Media Managers.” Then list your accomplishments at those companies—for instance:
-Increased website traffic by 20%
-Expanded online following from 10 thousand to over 35 thousand followers
These are just two examples that demonstrate how honing in on specific achievements will help employers better understand what you bring to the table.
Including skills and hobbies is also important because it shows prospective employers what else you have to offer outside of work. An employer may start considering you for different positions based on this information alone.
That’s not to say that a general list isn’t helpful too. Including things like “Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite” or “Knowledgeable about WordPress” is good because it gives employers an idea of what they could expect from you if they hire you. It also provides evidence of skills they might not know about.
