Research The Job Or Industry Recruiters almost always issue a Job Description or People Specification, if one has not been provided don't be afraid to ask - it is perfectly acceptable and demonstrates your motivation and interest for the role.
This will provide you with the first indication of the skills and competencies they are seeking.
Once you are armed with this knowledge you can assess how these requirements can be reflected in your CV.
If you know the industry or type of roles you are interested in undertake some industry research.
This will also provide you with an indication of the typical skills and requirements.
You can then tailor your CV accordingly.
Showcase Your Skills - treat your CV as your shop window Before you even begin to consider the main content of your CV, stop and think about your key skills.
This is essential for a number of reasons.
A small amount of time spent upfront on identifying your skills will provide focus to your CV content and create impact.
Create a separate "Skills Section" for your CV.
Your CV is the first view of you that potential employers will see, so make sure it is your shop window.
Spell out your key skills to potential employers so that they don't have to hunt through the body of your CV for them.
Large employers screen huge numbers of CV's and have a tick list of things they are looking for.
A well laid out skills section will enable them to screen your CV effectively.
Give yourself the best chance of securing an interview.
Structure Your CV Next draft the straw man structure for your CV.
I always use the following sections - personal profile, key skills, key achievements, employment history and interests.
Ensure You Have High Quality Content In Your CV Ensure that in your CV, under each employment role, you include bullet points covering more detail of the skills you identified earlier.
Give some thought to power words that add impact, such as led, managed, or designed rather than contributed to, or took part in which could make you look like a spectator rather than someone of substance.
Give careful thought to your personal profile section to ensure it has impact and reflects your key skills - it is the first part of your CV that a prospective employer reads.
Cross refer this to the job description or person specification to ensure you are reflecting what the employer is seeking.
Ensure this section is short and not too detailed; avoid war and peace it needs to be punchy! Do be honest with your personal statement, it should always reflect you as a person and you need to be able to convincingly talk this statement through at interview.
At all times ensure the correct use of grammar and punctuation and never ever use any text speak! A good tip is to ask a family member or friend to proof read your CV and give you feedback, before you send it to any prospective employers.
Know Your CV Content Inside Out You should expect to be asked detailed questions on your CV at interview.
It might seem an obvious thing to say but make sure you know the content of your CV.
Re-read it a couple of times before the interview to refresh your memory.
Now You Are All Set For Interview Thinking through your key skills early on has provided you with a great start to your interview preparation.
The next step is to now consider what skills you wish to highlight at interview.
A tip here is to start work on preparing some credible examples to illustrate your skills set.
It is much better to have great pre-prepared examples ready for likely interview questions, rather than becoming all flustered in the interview and not giving yourself the best chance of success.
You are now all set.
Good luck with your job hunting.
This will provide you with the first indication of the skills and competencies they are seeking.
Once you are armed with this knowledge you can assess how these requirements can be reflected in your CV.
If you know the industry or type of roles you are interested in undertake some industry research.
This will also provide you with an indication of the typical skills and requirements.
You can then tailor your CV accordingly.
Showcase Your Skills - treat your CV as your shop window Before you even begin to consider the main content of your CV, stop and think about your key skills.
This is essential for a number of reasons.
A small amount of time spent upfront on identifying your skills will provide focus to your CV content and create impact.
Create a separate "Skills Section" for your CV.
Your CV is the first view of you that potential employers will see, so make sure it is your shop window.
Spell out your key skills to potential employers so that they don't have to hunt through the body of your CV for them.
Large employers screen huge numbers of CV's and have a tick list of things they are looking for.
A well laid out skills section will enable them to screen your CV effectively.
Give yourself the best chance of securing an interview.
Structure Your CV Next draft the straw man structure for your CV.
I always use the following sections - personal profile, key skills, key achievements, employment history and interests.
Ensure You Have High Quality Content In Your CV Ensure that in your CV, under each employment role, you include bullet points covering more detail of the skills you identified earlier.
Give some thought to power words that add impact, such as led, managed, or designed rather than contributed to, or took part in which could make you look like a spectator rather than someone of substance.
Give careful thought to your personal profile section to ensure it has impact and reflects your key skills - it is the first part of your CV that a prospective employer reads.
Cross refer this to the job description or person specification to ensure you are reflecting what the employer is seeking.
Ensure this section is short and not too detailed; avoid war and peace it needs to be punchy! Do be honest with your personal statement, it should always reflect you as a person and you need to be able to convincingly talk this statement through at interview.
At all times ensure the correct use of grammar and punctuation and never ever use any text speak! A good tip is to ask a family member or friend to proof read your CV and give you feedback, before you send it to any prospective employers.
Know Your CV Content Inside Out You should expect to be asked detailed questions on your CV at interview.
It might seem an obvious thing to say but make sure you know the content of your CV.
Re-read it a couple of times before the interview to refresh your memory.
Now You Are All Set For Interview Thinking through your key skills early on has provided you with a great start to your interview preparation.
The next step is to now consider what skills you wish to highlight at interview.
A tip here is to start work on preparing some credible examples to illustrate your skills set.
It is much better to have great pre-prepared examples ready for likely interview questions, rather than becoming all flustered in the interview and not giving yourself the best chance of success.
You are now all set.
Good luck with your job hunting.
SHARE
