Update Your CV For 2016

At Debbie Burbage Recruitment is important to update your curriculum vitae each year so that you can add any new experiences or qualifications that you have achieved in the previous year. If you constantly keep your CV up to date then you will find it easier to apply for new jobs or new career roles in the near future.

Start With Your Personal Details

Always start your CV with your name and address. To save essential space you do not need to title your CV with the words Curriculum Vitae as the employer or HR team will understand what it is by the format that it is in, along with your job application.

The Two Page Rule

Keep your CV to a maximum of two pages including your experiences and qualifications. Don’t cram everything together to fit all of your information within the two page limit, make sure that every point is clearly visible and easy to read. Make sure that you have clear gaps between points as having no spaces at all can make it very difficult to read.

Is Your CV Readable?

To save time, many companies will use a CV reader to automatically check through CV’s to see if any match the job requirements. CV’s that are written using fancy fonts will automatically be disregarded and will not even be considered even if you meet the expectations as an applicant. Make sure that your CV is readable with a clear font such as Times New Roman, Verdana or Arial. The font size that you should use should be no less than font size 11 so that it is clear to read.

Tailor Your CV To Each Job

Many candidates feel it is okay to send the same CV off to each job application and hope to get a reply with an interview. When applying for a job it is important to remember to take your time with each application and to tailor your CV to each job. When employers look through a CV the first thing that they are looking for is to see how you would fit in with that job role, so near the beginning of your CV you need to explain how you would suit that job role and what experiences you have had to prove that you could do the job you are applying for.

Remove Your Interests And Hobbies

When you were starting out your career you may of been advised to add your interests and hobbies to your CV. This can now be removed to make room for the more important information that the employers are interested in looking at. If you feel that it is relevant to the job such as you enjoy attending networking events then you can include this, but make sure you leave out anything of unimportance such as socialising with friends each weekend as this is not what the employers are looking for.

Ask For Feedback

If you have had several unsuccessful job applications then try to find out why as it could be something simple that is missing on your CV. Ask for feedback from the HR team of the company you are applying from and you may receive a reply with some very useful information which could then help you with all future jobs.

And Finally..Check!

As simple as it sounds you must check your CV over and over again to make sure that your spelling and grammar are correct. Send it to a couple of friends or colleagues so that they can check for you and when you are completely satisfied then that is when you can attach it to your job application and send it off.

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