Get hired: stand out with a great CV

Your CV is the story of you

CVs are not the time or the place to be modest. If anything, they’re the exact opposite. You have two sides of A4 paper (the recommended length to keep your CV to) to wow someone, so make it count and don’t undersell yourself.

Starting strongly is key. After you’ve included your personal details (full name and contact details) you should write a brief paragraph introducing yourself and your skills, including; your specialist work areas, how long you’ve worked in them and what you’re passionate about.

This is the first content the employer will read, so depending on the role and number of applications, this paragraph could make or break your application. Ensure it’s a succinct and accurate reflection of your talents and experience that will encourage the employer to carry on reading.

Use facts and figures

Don’t just say the things you’ve done, list the outcomes of your actions and use numbers / statistics where possible to illustrate how you might have improved a process or delivered a benefit. For example, saying something like “worked with my team to increase productivity” doesn’t really tell the employer anything.

By writing something such as, “streamlined the team’s budget tracking process and as a result reduced time spent on the task, increasing productivity by 17%” tells the employer that you’ve made a quantifiable positive impact on your company. Numbers and percentages stand out on a page and will catch the eye of your reader, encouraging further reading. 

Talk about results rather than responsibilities

This is similar to the previous point, but still significant.  Rather than saying something like “I was tasked with overseeing a team of cashiers”, which explains what you were employed to do, but doesn’t actually say what you did, try saying something like:

“I managed a team of cashiers and tasked them to improve customer service. Through collaboration and improving the serving process, we reduced wait times by 8% and increased our customer feedback score by 15%”. This not only explains your responsibilities but explains how you fulfilled and added real value to the team and company.

Tailor your CV to the job for which you’re applying

If you really want the specific job you’re applying for it’s advisable to tailor your CV to the job specification. Many applicants are likely to simply click ‘apply’ and send over their current CV, without changing it first to match the position. By amending your CV and adding specific information which relates to the job, your CV will cut through the noise and stand out to the employer.

You don’t have to rewrite the whole thing. Simply read the job description closely, and amend your opening paragraph, as well as your job roles and responsibilities, so they better reflect how your skills and experience are suited to the skills and requirements listed in the job specification.

Have you found this article insightful? At Search, we work with 6,000+ businesses across the UK and have uncovered what makes a great CV in today’s job market. If you are looking to stand out in your job search, contact our dedicated recruitment experts today.