A CV is the first impression you give when applying for jobs. If your CV is out of date, lacking detail, or not including the information necessary to display your skills and experience, you may find you are often unsuccessful in securing interviews for roles that you are, in fact, qualified/experienced enough to successfully succeed in.

Here we have compiled some top tips and tricks to ensure your CV ends up at the top of the pile:

Keep it simple

CVs should be no longer than two A4 pages. Employers tend to spend, on average, less than 9 seconds looking at a CV; keep it simple and highlight the most important points – the rest can wait until your interview.

Make it personal

Include a personal statement; this is your opportunity to provide a snapshot of why you are the right person for the job. This should reflect your cover letter, and clarify how your experience relates to the position advertised. Again, keep this short and sweet as you can go into more detail within your cover letter.

Make it specific

Take the time to individualise your CV to suit the role you are applying for. Use the job advert to help you find what the employer is looking for, and edit your CV to point out these skills. Applying for a job in Childcare when your CV focuses on your skills in Retail won’t get the same results!

Fill in the gaps

Gaps in your CV can raise suspicion. Being out of work for a while is understandable, but give a positive outlook as to why the gap in employment is there. Did you spend time taking on a new course? Did you carry out some volunteer work? Or did you take on some personal projects that can be used to highlight your skills, such as organisation and problem solving?

Fresh out of school

If you are a school leaver and have no professional work experience yet, don’t leave it blank! Include elements of your school life such as key achievements, extra-curricular activities, awards or certificates. This will show employers that though this will be your first role, you recognise your strengths and suitability for the position through the experience you have gained within your education.

Keep up to date

Ensure your CV is up to date whenever you apply for a new role. If you have gained new experiences or qualifications that may help you to secure a new position, if they are not included within your CV, employers will assume these events never occurred.

Checking it out

Employers will look for spelling and grammar mistakes and this will have an impact on whether your application is successful. Make sure you proof read (or ask someone else to help you look over it), and use a spell checker. Don’t give employers an excuse to immediately reject your CV!

Honesty is the best policy

Don’t make the common mistake of lying on your CV – the truth may come out during your interview if you can’t answer questions about something you’ve put on your CV, or when references are requested from previous employers. If you claim to have knowledge and experience in a particular field that you have not worked in before, the employer will notice!

Judge the book by its cover

Your CV is essentially an advert for you, so take some time to make your CV look organised and reader-friendly. Use bullet points and short sentences to keep your points concise. Don’t over-complicate it – cluttered CVs can steer employers away!

Now you have created the ideal CV, why not check out our current Apprentice Vacancies?