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First
impressions -
These really matter! Your CV is a marketing document and must attract the
reader's attention in the first 20-30 seconds; otherwise your chances of
getting an interview are greatly reduced. A recruitment consultancy or an
employer may have a hundred or more CVs to look through and probably only
a couple of hours in which to select for interview. So put your work
experience at the start of your CV, not personal or educational details,
unless you have only just left education. |
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Poor
visual layout -
The visual layout of your CV is very important. Even though the wording
you use may be correct, if people cannot find the information they want
quickly they will move on to someone else's CV. You should use plenty of
'white' space in your CV and appropriate headings and section breaks. |
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Email
Your CV -
If you can! Sending your details electronically gives the recruiter
a faster response and allows them to use and respond to your
application more easily, so always email if you can. Then follow
through with a 'hard copy', this confirms your interest and gives
you a second chance during the selection process. |
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Always
use a printer - Use
good quality A4 paper, preferably 90-100gram for both your CV and cover
letter. Selective and very careful use of colour can be useful if a CV is
to be sent in by email. |
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Length
of CV - Two
pages of A4 are ideal, although four pages of 'interesting' will beat two
pages of 'boring/difficult to read' any day! But remember, employers do
not want to know your whole life history - just enough to decide whether
they should interview you or not. |
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Organisation
of the information on your CV
- If your CV is not well organised then the reader will find it hard to
follow and will not be able to build up a picture of you quickly. Remember
the reader will not spend very long looking at your CV - so if they cannot
find what they want they will not bother to read any further. |
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Overwritten
- long paragraphs and sentences This makes it difficult to read quickly -
try and keep your sentences short and punchy and use bullet points to
break up the text under section headings. |
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Too
little information
- A lot of applicants do not include enough details about their previous
experience; an employer therefore may not have enough information and will
reject your application. |
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Not
results orientated
- You need to shout about your achievements. Remember that your CV is your
sales document, if it does not say clearly and unequivocally why you
should be employed then it has failed. An employer will only want to
employ you if they can see a benefit in it for themselves. So do tell them
the benefits of employing you. |
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Misspellings,
typographical errors, poor grammar
- Your CV should be carefully checked for such errors before you send it
out to employers. Tiny errors in your CV can detract from an otherwise
good presentation and make you look lazy or careless, not the sort of
qualities you want to portray. As you will probably be 'blind' to these
errors you should get someone else to check your CV for grammar and
spelling errors. |
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