10 TOP TIPS TO GET YOUR CV NOTICED

These tips will help you to create the ideal CV, showcasing your talents and grabbing the attention of the recruiter/employer. The role of the CV is to sell yourself but you should take care not to undersell or oversell for that matter.

1) The look and the length

A good CV is well assembled and suitably ordered. It should begin with personal details and a captivating opening statement, followed by previous employment and education details, finishing with interests, skills and appropriate references.

The ideal length of a CV is two sides of A4. Admittedly, some people will have more details to include on their CV than others, but try to aim for two pages, three at the most.

If you are struggling to fit to this ideal length, consider decreasing the font size. A font size of 10 or 11pt is perfectly legible and by utilising bold and underlined words, you can ensure that each section of your CV stands out. Select a standard font and use it consistently throughout. Wacky or intricate fonts will be difficult to read, and excessive use of capital letters and italics are hard on the eye. A bad choice of font could result in your CV not receiving the examination that it deserves. Bullet points are also a useful tool when including details of the responsibilities you have had in each period of employment.

When compiling your CV there is a desire to make yourself stand out, however colours or backgrounds may be off-putting to say the least! Whilst bright colours may initiate a positive reaction from some readers, it cannot be said of all. Therefore an elegant black-and-white CV will generate a more professional tone and will appeal to all employers.

2) Personal statement

Employers and recruitment agencies view hundreds of CVs and first impressions count. In order to create a positive response, include a brief personal statement just under your name and contact details to outline your greatest achievements/experience and career objectives for your next role. Keep this to two or three short, snappy sentences. An opening like this will highlight your best points, grabbing the reader's attention and enticing them to read on for further details.

3) Tailor your CV to the job you want

Having a good understanding of what you want from employment can be the key to finding the right job and creating a good CV. By being more specific about your motivation, you will actually create a better image of yourself, resulting in a concise representation.

It is essential to have a general CV to post on websites like Monster, Total Jobs or Access Science Jobs - this will get you noticed by recruiters. However, when applying to specific job vacancies, it is well worth revisiting your general CV and customising it to highlight the relevancy of your experience against the precise role requirements.

4) List in reverse chronological order

List your work history and education in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent role/qualification first. It is essential to include months in the dates for your work experience - this will give the reader of your CV a clear picture of your work history. And for that reason…

5) Don't leave anything out

Employers and recruitment agencies will always spot a break in your work history. Whether you took time out to study, travel or care for your family, just include the dates along with a brief statement. There are many reasons for taking time out during your working career, and most are seen as positive by employers.

6) Include company information

In addition to a summary of the responsibilities you held in each of your previous and current roles, do not forget to include a brief summary of what the company/organisation does. It is easy to forget that people outside of your current company may not be familiar with it. You should not expect the reader of your CV to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of companies or for them to carry out their own research on the internet. By including a brief description, and perhaps even the website address, you will ensure that the relevance of your experience stands out above all other applicants.

7) Education is important

When listing education details include the names of the schools, colleges and universities that you attended as well as your qualifications. Subjects and grades should be listed where necessary. However you should avoid long lists, so in these cases the earliest qualifications could be abbreviated: for example 10 GCSEs grades A*-C would be sufficient.

8) Skills and techniques

A list or brief summary of skills or techniques you have built up through your education or work experience is extremely useful to readers of your CV. For example, if you have been working in a laboratory, you may wish to list the type of applications you have carried out; or in a sales role, a summary of the main type of products you have sold across your career.

9) Contact details

As obvious as it may sound, double, even triple-check your contact details before you print, email or download your CV to a job website - interested employers and recruitment agencies must be able to reach you. If you are only able to take calls at certain times of the day, include this information on your CV or record a message to explain as such on your outgoing voicemail.

Always include a personal email address for people to contact you - never use a work email address. Employers are legally allowed to screen emails for words such as CV or vacancy, so keep everything to a private email address.

10) Basic details and relocation

In addition to the basic contact details, it is also useful to include: your driving licence status if you have one; citizenship and whether you have any visa conditions for working in the UK; and if you are willing to relocate for the right job, state any preferences.

And most importantly, be honest and factually correct