Ensure Your CV Gets You An Interview – 9 tips

Job seekers must remember that whilst innovative additions to your job application, like an augmented reality CV, provide a wow factor they very rarely improve your chances of being put forward for an interview. They are also completely useless if your CV and cover letter fail to entice the recruiter to find out more about you. When writing a text CV, remember the following…

1. 1. Include keywords in the content of your CV that relate to your work experience, qualifications, interests and desired career move. These keywords should appear multiple times through a CV. Often, especially with CV databases, recruiters will use keyword search tools to filter CVs, for example searching for CVs in which “Java” appears 5 times and “Web Developer” appears 10 times.
2. 2. Add a ‘Key skills’ section to your CV consisting of a list of skills and qualifications relevant to your expertise. Break the list into 2 or 3 columns to make best use of the space on the page. This will improve the keyword density of your CV whilst making the recruiter’s job easier as they browse your CV searching for information they need in order to process your application.
3. 3. Always avoid writing a CV in the first person as this comes across as unprofessional.
4. 4. Avoid writing unsubstantiated comments about your skills. Instead of writing “I am an experienced web developer” write about particular projects and why your experience would be of interest to potential employers. Where possible ensure that the examples of your experience include quantifiable measurements of success.
5. 5. A job seeker has a matter of seconds to convince a recruiter to read their CV in detail. The introductory paragraph should state who they are, where their experience lies and what makes them good at what they do. This is an elevator pitch in writing.
6. 6. Do not add images and colours to a CV. This creates a gaudy document that is difficult to read and will ultimately work against your chances of success. Use simple fonts and only black text. Use white space, bullet points and left-aligned text to make the document easy to read.
7. 7. Prioritise CV content and allocate page space accordingly. Ideally a CV should take two pages of A4, so do not waste too much of this space with details about old information (such as clubs you attended at school and old pass times) and try to condense your old qualifications into a couple of lines, e.g. 10 GCSEs grades A-C inc. English and Maths.
8. 8. Use your covering letter to further emphasise particular elements of your CV that are relevant to the role to which you are applying.
9. 9. Increase chances of success by tailoring your CV to every job that you apply for. As a recruiter, there are few things worse than receiving a generic CV that is mostly irrelevant.