OUTLINING YOUR BEST QUALITIES
AINE BROLLY, CEO, CPL NORTHERN IRELAND, GIVES HER ADVICE
THE CV remains in effect a sales document, so it is important to think of a job application as an opportunity to outline your best qualities.
As referenced in our tips below, most job descriptions set out exactly what skills the employer is looking for, so tailor your application responding to each point, whilst demonstrating how past experiences have equipped you with the relevant skills and knowledge for the job.
The first page of the CV needs to engage the reader.
Directly under your name and contact details, you should have a strong profile paragraph.
This should be three or four lines which basically says to the reader – who you are, what you can do.
TIP 1: If you are a recent graduate, your CV should start with educational qualifications. If you are a more experienced candidate, start with professional experience.
TIP 2: Outline each role in bullet points and stress any achievements you had in that role.
TIP 3: Start each sentence with an action word, words like – ‘Delivered’, ‘Implemented’, ‘Communicated’ etc.
TIP 4: Tailor your CV to the actual role you are applying for. This can be as simple as printing off the job specification and working your way down through the requirements that the employer has set out.
TIP 5: Realistically, hiring managers will look at a CV for a couple of seconds. Your challenge is to ensure your profile holds their attention for that time period.
TIP 6: The bottom line with CV preparation is simple, if it is not representative of you and your career, you are doing yourself a disservice.