Top 10 CV tips to help you secure an interview

1. Short and Sweet
   Your CV should be no more than two pages long. On average, employers spend just 7 seconds looking at any one CV, so keep it punchy, to the point, and save any niggly little details for the interview.
   
   
2. Keep it current
   You should keep your CV up-to-date even when you aren’t looking for a new job. Recording any significant events or changes in your career while they’re fresh will ensure you don’t later forget any important details, and will save yourself time and effort when you do want to start using it again.
   
   
3. One size doesn’t fit all
   Taking the time to adapt your CV for each role that you apply for will greatly improve your chances of securing an interview. Research the company and use the job description to work out exactly what skills you should point out to them. They will appreciate the obvious effort.
   
   
4. Make it personal
   It’s best not to assume an employer will see how your experience relates to their job. Instead, use a short personal statement to tell them exactly why you are the person they want to hire.
   
   
5. Mind the gap
   Leaving obvious gaps on your CV can immediately make employers suspicious. If you’ve been out of work it can be a red flag, but you can put a positive spin on it. Were you doing a course, maternity leave, family time out, travel, volunteer work or developing soft skills? Add this in.
   
   
6. The error of your ways
   Mistakes on your CV don't look good, and with high volumes of applicants for most roles, you don’t want to give the employer any excuses to discard your CV. Use a spell checker if needed and, if possible, ask a second pair of eyes to give it a once over and help catch any errors you may have overlooked.
   
   
7. Do the math
   It may not sound very exciting, but backing up your achievements with numbers makes selling yourself much easier - and helps you stand out from the crowd. If you increased sales in your previous role, specify that you increased sales by 70% over a six month period. These details can really take your CV up a notch.
   
   
8. Keep it real
   Everyone lies on their CV, right? Wrong! Not only might you land yourself in an awkward situation at the interview stage if you suddenly can’t answer questions on what you claim to know, but blatant lies on your CV can land you in big trouble when it comes to employers checking your background and references.
   
   
9. Looks matter
   We live in a world where image is everything, and that also goes for your CV. Take some time to make it look good; use bullet points, clear headings and keep sentences short. Don’t be afraid of white space around text and between categories to make the layout easy on the eye.
   
   
10. Keywords are key
    If you’re uploading your CV to a job site so recruiters can find you online, keywords, such as job title, key skills and buzzwords, are essential to help a search engine pick out your CV from the pile. A marketing candidate might mention SEO, or a Compliance candidate might mention AML. If in doubt, search your job title online and make a note of which words and phrases are commonly mentioned in the results.

Your CV is crucial to helping you secure an interview, which is why we take the time to help our candidates make sure theirs is as strong as possible.

If you’re looking for a new role and want to make sure yours is up to scratch, drop us an email at info@kendrickrose.com.