Many agency’s receive a huge number of CV’s per day, therefore only CVs that really stand out will be considered for interview. Once you understand the process of a recruiter you will then understand the importance of a good, informative CV. Competition for work is fierce as data indicates, your chances of gaining employment is much greater if you have a good CV.
The Office for National Statistics* claims that;
- Between December 2017 and December 2018, the total number of jobs in the UK was estimated to have increased by 415,000 to reach 35.27 million.
- For December 2018 to February 2019, there were an estimated 854,000 job vacancies in the UK, 39,000 more than a year earlier.
*https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/jobsandvacanciesintheuk/march2019
Recruiters cannot offer everyone that gets in contact an interview so agency’s have to be very selective, they look for solid, informative and professional CV’s and only the really good CV’s will muster a ‘first pass’.
Your CV showcases your achievements, your goals and your personality.
Start with key information about yourself, something unique to you. A short introduction about your strengths and achievements. This can be difficult for some, have you ever noticed how easy it is for us to list out weaknesses? I cannot count how many times I have heard these statements: ‘I’m rubbish at delegating’! ‘I’m not good at managing people and I dislike talking about myself’.
When writing your introduction ensure you use ‘power words’. Here’s a list of some that you may find useful;
Creative
I am a creative person, I am always finding new ways to streamline our processes.
Diligent/diligence
I am a diligent worker/I work with diligence, I always strive to achieve excellence in every task I undertake.
Tenacious
I am a tenacious individual that will not give up until I have achieved the desired outcome
Motivated
I am a self motivated person that strives on individual and team success
Enabling/Enabler
I am a person that enables myself and others to be successful
Assertive
I have achieved my career and personal goals by being conscientious and assertive.
There are many more examples;
Conscientious, capable, focused, delegator, team leader, team oriented, leadership, disciplined, time management and punctual etc. If you are stuck there are many websites than can help you with ‘power words’.
Always try and keep your CV succinct, 2 A4 pages is enough for anyone to digest and anything more will probably not be read. Your previous 2 positions are of the most interest to any agency or potential employer.
Set out your CV simply and clearly. Centrally aligned add CV as your header, add a space or two and then add your name and contact details below.
You are not required to add your age/birth date. Then add (align right of the page) your short introduction.
Beneath this add latest position with dates from and to.
Repeat your positions accordingly, if 2 pages are not enough, if, like myself, you’ve been in the marketplace for years try to minimise the information but take care not to minimise the impact of your CV to ensure your CV fits 2 pages.
Maximise your page margins if you have to!
For further free help and guidance visit Monster UK at https://www.monster.co.uk/career-advice/article/monster-cv-template
or here at Indeed https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/how-to-write-a-cv
Good luck in your search!
Sue Morgan
RMTA