Writing your CV is a hugely important aspect of your job search. Your CV is one of the first things that a company/recruiter will see and therefore, it needs to impress. Here are a few yay’s and nay’s when it comes to writing your CV:
1. Ensure the format and layout of your CV is clear, neat and appealing to the eye - this means making sure your choice of font, bullet point and paragraph spacing is consistent throughout
2. PLEASE check your spelling, grammar and punctuation – if it helps then get someone else to read it over before you post or submit it anywhere. Make sure everything that is meant to have a capital letter has one and your spelling and grammar is 100% correct.
3. Order your education and career history in chronological order- Everything that is most recent goes at the top of the section. Also make sure all the dates are correct and if there are gaps or points where roles overlap, state the reason why. Also, remember to continuously update your CV so you can add in as much relevant and correct detail as possible
4. No pictures please – unless specified, please do not add a photo to your CV, we don’t require them and we can just stalk your LinkedIn profile instead! The same goes for funky background colours and groovy borders…(unless it’s a company logo, we like those)
5. Elaborate on your responsibilities and achievements – your CV is a chance for you to showcase what your main responsibilities included in your current and previous roles but also what you achieved. For example, if you handled your own personal projects, created or implemented something new to the department/company or hit your targets, this is your chance to impress us!
6. Bullet points are your best friend – we like this saying… 2/3 pages is an ideal length for most CVs unless you have years and years of experience. A lot of our clients prefer bullet points to prose as it looks cleaner and more organised.
7. Formal colours – no pinks, oranges, yellows or lime green (??) keep it to formal colours like navy blue or wine red. Although headings only please – body of text always in black
(Obviously if you are applying for a really creative role and want to impress – we encourage you to go a little more adventurous)
8. Hobbies –Tell us all about what you like to do outside of work! It gives us an insight into your personality and is a great conversation starter in an interview too!
9. Sell yourself – without sounding too confident and big headed, use your CV as a chance to showcase your best skills and show your potential new employer what you could bring to their company.
10. Targets and Skills – be specific, we often search key words such as SEO/PPC/Affiliates/Social etc… so make sure if you have experience in a specific area or have used a certain type of software, tool or platform that you name it! The same rule applies to targets, if you work in a sales based role, it is useful to mention your best achievements or any targets you had within the role.
Be enthusiastic – spend time writing and editing your CV to make it the best possible version it can be. Use positive and energetic language that will draw attention to it and make it the best possible first impression you can give!
We’d love to hear your thoughts and top tips!
If you’ve recently re-written your CV and you’re looking for a role in Digital Marketing or Sales, here at FC we have loads of hugely exciting and rewarding roles that we are recruiting for. Please do get in contact if you or anyone else you know is looking!
