Your Curriculum Vitae (CV) or résumé is your ticket to an interview for the job you are applying for. Bearing this in mind, it is so important to make a good first impression and to make your CV stand out from the rest of the candidates.
You can work on your CV to make it look more appealing to potential employers. You just need to keep in mind some important things that you need to do to ensure that your CV stands out. It’s critical to pay attention to how you draft your final document and how you’ll present it. You need to understand that recruiters don’t often spend very long when screening CVs, so it’s vital to grab their attention during their first look.
Here are some ways to make an attention-grabbing CV:
- First, list the most relevant skills you have early – Do your best to get their attention in the first few lines through your qualifications. Focus on the most relevant abilities and skills that you have. Your CV should present the idea that you are the best match for the job position. You can also include a few of your interests to give the recruiters an idea about your personality.
- Specify your skills as well as your previous job responsibilities that are most applicable to the job you’re applying for. The general descriptions of your previous responsibilities and work skills may not be that appealing. Make it much more accurate and if possible, focus on numbers. However, don’t make the mistake of listing all the job responsibilities that you have ever had. Only list those that are relevant and related to the job you’re applying for.
- Use bullet points to get their attention – Formatting your CV with bullet points can highlight information and is easy to read. However, you need to ensure that each item you place is brief because if it is too long, it will lose its readability. You can also try using spacing to enhance the look of your CV.
- Choose a CV paper that won’t blend with most other CVs. Frequently, CVs are printed in grey, cream, or white coloured paper. If you want to make your CV stand out, you can use a differently coloured paper, but you need to maintain its professional look at the same time. Avoid using glaring colours.
- Don’t outline your objectives if they are not relevant to your application. You can still use them as a filler if you have a lot of empty space but if you already have enough information on your CV, get rid of them.
- Don’t make your CV too long – Even though long CVs may seem to imply vast experience, don’t create more than two pages of CV. Likewise, do not attempt to stuff all your information into a single page, making it look crowded. Use white space to your advantage.
These are the things you need to do to make your CV stand out from the rest. In addition to this list, you should also remember to make an excellent cover letter. Having an impressive cover letter can often guarantee you a successful job application.