In a competitive job market a CV is your key marketing tool, but busy employers may only scan for a few seconds before deciding if they want to hear more from you – or not.
Maximise your experience
You have more skills and experience than you might realise. Don’t let doubts stop you from applying for roles you're interested in. Instead, make the most of what you already have.
- Highlight more than just your degree title; emphasise technical skills, knowledge, and teamwork from projects.
- Showcase skills from part-time jobs, such as communication and problem-solving, with specific examples of your achievements.
By explaining your achievements and skills and relating them to the role you're applying for, you'll stand out in a competitive job market and highlight your value to potential employers.
Master your copy
Create a master copy CV, which you can update with new experience and achievements while they’re still fresh. It's really important that you adapt this copy to each job you apply for by reviewing what individual employers are looking for and deciding what to emphasise from your experiences on your CV. Sending off a generic CV that isn't tailored to the job or company won't get you very far.
Make an impression
Avoid just listing duties and responsibilities. Instead, highlight the process and the results of your actions. These two examples highlight how you can demonstrate the results of your actions:
- I achieved consistently positive feedback from customers; 85% ranked the service they received as excellent.
- I organised a charity ball for 150 guests and 12 VIPs
Make an impact with action verbs
How you use language is important. You can dramatically strengthen your statements by using simple language techniques effectively.
Use active verbs, as shown below, rather than passive verbs. For example: I organised a programme of speakers, I motivated the team or I analysed research data.
-
Networked
-
Supervised
-
Expanded
-
Advised
-
Motivated
-
Attained
-
Pinpointed
-
Undertook
-
Recruited
-
Simplified
-
Tested
-
Innovated
Putting it into practise
Before:
I led a team of students to complete a project to gain more social media interactions for a local business.
After:
Supervised and spearheaded a team of students to develop and test a new social media strategy for a local business resulting in increased engagement.
Before:
Developed my original idea to come up with a better design and improve the old concept.
After:
Researched alternative options and adjusted my original design to produce a new and improved solution with increased efficiency.
I never really imagined that I would come out of my first year getting the hang of writing a CV and developing it. It did not happen overnight but it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Careers and Employability Service.
So let me take you along the journey of how I transformed my CV.