When applying for new roles, the quality of your CV is of paramount importance and instantly determines to a recruiter whether you are going to be suitable for the role or not. It is estimated that the average number of applicants one corporate job attracts in the UK is 250. Often, out of these only 4-6 people will be called for interview and 1 who will get the job. These are tough odds for those on the search for a new role. The jobs market is extremely competitive, so ensuring your CV is the strongest it can be is fundamental in your job search. Here are a few pointers to ensure your CV will stand out from the crowd:

Current Job Status
Not only do the details of your current job role give an indication of whether you the relevant experience for the role they are applying for, but it poses the question – why are you wanting to leave? If a candidate has only a few months in their most recent role, recruiters will often want to know why you are moving on so soon. Were you fired? Are you simply hating the role? It is always better to be honest about why you are wanting to move on, regardless of the reason. This is an opportunity to disclose your current status. Do not worry about the reasoning behind your wanting to leave, what really counts is your experience and ability to do the job.

Experience
Recruiters will scan your CV and try to determine whether you have a flow of relevant job progression shown in your previous roles. Increasing levels of responsibility is a good indication that the candidate is consistent and has a focus. Make sure that your CV gives an honest representation of previous positions. Do not try to mislead recruiters by over-exaggerating your responsibilities – the truth will always come out. Demonstrate throughout your resume where you added value to the company and describe positive contributions you made to the business.

Skills and Keywords
Don’t forget, a recruiter will only spend less than 30 seconds looking through your CV, so it’s crucial that you highlight skills and keywords that are relevant to the job that you are applying for. This demonstrates that you already have the experience required by your potential employers. You must ensure that keywords are easy to spot, so a clear, concise and well laid out CV makes all the difference. This does not mean your CV can’t be authentic. You must not, however, under any circumstances add keywords to your resume that you haven’t any experience in. Recruiters are on to you and if they find out you have lied, it will be an instant no-no.

Gaps
People have a misconstrued idea in employment, that if you have gaps in your CV it will be an instant rejection. This is simply not the case. If you have a gap in your CV, explain why there is. You may have taken some time out to start up your own business that didn’t work out, or taken a few years out to raise children. That’s fine, just explain that. Gaps will never go against you if you can show that you did something productive in that time. Where recruiters become skeptical about gaps in employment, is when a candidate cannot support their reasoning or are coy about their time out of employment. In some instances candidates may be reluctant to discuss time out of employment due to personal reasons, and feel they have to go into great detail – you don’t! Just explain to recruiters why you may feel uncomfortable divulging such information.

Education
The necessity to highlight in detail your education varies depending on the role being recruited for. It is necessary to highlight relevant certificates and diplomas, particularly if they are listed on the job description as essential or desirable. You may feel it beneficial to provide a brief outline of any key learning outcomes that may contribute to enhancing your ability to fulfil to the role. But try to limit the level of detail you go into when describing your qualifications, particularly if they may be irrelevant to the job role. A small overview of your education is all it needs.

If you need any assistance in your job search, then please do not hesitate to call us on 0207 788 6600 and one of our friendly expert consultants will be happy to help.