Seven Steps to a Great CV
No matter what people say, writing a CV is tough. Some people excel at it, but generally, we hate blowing our own trumpets. In that sense, CVs are pure evil, asking us to do something that we struggle with on 2 sides of A4 paper, summarising years of relevant experience into a document that is supposed to separate us from an ever growing crowd. But there are some steps that you can take to make that perfect CV.
Be Punchy
First up, this is tough, but stick to two pages of A4, no more. Employers generally spend very little time looking at a single CV (8 seconds), and will be immediately turned off by anything more substantial than the two sides of A4. Keep it punchy, and include the best stuff, the niggly questions and details will wait till the interview.
Be Original
A standard CV is great, it keeps things nice and easy, but it’s also not very intuitive when looking for that specific role. Tailor the content of your CV to match the role that you are applying for, do some research and work out exactly what it is they are looking for.
Fill the Gaps
Nothing is more conspicuous then a gap in your CV. Employers will be suspicious of gaps in your CV and more often than not, will not give you the opportunity to explain it. If you have undertaken some volunteer work, or a gap year, or some work experience, or indeed time off for illness or family matters, let them know, it will be far better than allowing them to guess.
Be Truthful
Telling a lie on your CV to a potential employer is a really bad idea, we mean a REALLY bad idea. Employers will check your background and references, and even if you don’t get caught out in the interview stage, it can come back to bite you when you start work. Don’t lie, be truthful and avoid the awkward situations – lies can affect your employability for years to come.
Be Arty
Image is everything, and an easy to read CV is far more appealing to an employer than a poorly laid out, text heavy mess. Use bullet points, short sentences and leave plenty of white space around your categories to make the layout easy on the eye.
Check Your Work
Before you send anything to anyone, check, check and check again. Employers will be looking for mistakes on your CV, so don’t let them find anything. Employers will look through pile and piles of CVs, so will look for any excuse to dismiss a portion of them…don’t give them that opportunity.
Keep It Up To Date
Whether you’re looking for a job or not, you need to keep your CV up to date. If anything significant should happen in your career, note it at the time so you don’t forget it when you are looking for a new role.
Visitors to the Seven Animal Health website can upload their CV here.
If you would like to discuss any available roles, get in touch with the Seven team today. You can contact us via phone, on 07 5646 4077 or using our contact form.