There's an art to creating the perfect online CV to showcase your skills
To get you the interviews for the jobs you want, your CV has to work online, as
well as read well. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to create a winner.
Decide what you're going to include
You don't need to include everything on your CV, especially if you have a long employment
history. Employers are unlikely to be interested in the Saturday job you had 20
years ago.
Include your most recent work experience, focusing throughout
your CV on the skills that are most relevant to the type of job you're looking for
now.
There's no need to include qualifications with low grades, reasons for leaving jobs,
marital status or your date of birth.
It's important for employers to be able to scan your CV to get a quick idea of who
you are and what you want. Online CVs can be written in the following order:
- your name and contact details (don't put curriculum vitae at the
top)
- Make your CV stand out
- Updating your CV to keep it fresh
Say what you're looking for
It's important to state exactly what sort of job you're looking for when you're
adding your CV to an online database. In this way, you're more likely to attract
employers who can offer what you want. Make sure that you
include a short sentence
about your job objectives, which should appear under your contact details.
Use keywords
Using words and phrases related to the job you want/your skills - for example, management,
MS Excel, telephone - enables employers searching online to find your CV more easily.
So it's essential you use them frequently in your CV. To identify
key words and phrases, look at job descriptions of the type of job you're looking
for.
Be professional
Make sure you
don't include a silly email address on your CV -
employers find addresses like cuddleshoneybunch@hotmail.co.uk off-putting.
Keep it simple
Fancy formats can fall apart when uploaded or emailed to employers, so
save
your CV in plain text or ASCII. Don't use italics, borders, underlining
or unusual fonts. These will make your CV stand out - in the wrong way!
Make every word count
Your online CV should be
brief and to the point. One to one-and-a-half
pages is ideal.
Be achievement-focused
Don't just list your previous jobs.
Focus on the skills you demonstrated and
what you achieved in each one, whenever possible. Don't say anything
negative about a previous job in your CV.
Tell the truth
Don't claim to have skills, experience or qualifications you don't have. It's easy
to be caught out.
Hobbies and interests
Make these relevant to the kinds of abilities you want to demonstrate, for example:
"orienteering has allowed me to use my leadership skills". If your hobbies
and interests don't add anything to your job application, leave them out.
Check, check and check again
Nothing puts employers off more than a CV that contains spelling or grammatical
errors.
Before you email or upload your CV, check it thoroughly.
Then get someone else to check it to catch any mistakes you might have overlooked.
They can give you an objective opinion on your masterpiece too.
Download these CV templates to give yourself a head start.
