Get that winning CV

As more and companies are announcing redundancy it is now more important than ever to have your CV up to date... Weather you are sending letters on spec or applying for advertised jobs, it is vital to have a wining CV in order to stand out from the crowd and gain an interview.

Here are 7 top tips for that winning CV.

• Keep it to the point. A CV should be no more than 2 sides of A4. Think of the person who has to sieve through all the applicants. Therefore only enclose RELEVANT information
• You never get a 2nd chance to make a first impression. The layout of the CV is crucial. Hold your CV at arms length and see if it looks like a professional document. This is a chance to gauge your 1st impression. Send the CV in an A4 envelope. As an experiment take 2 copies of your CV, leave 1 unfolded and fold the other into 4 as you would fold a letter. Then have a look at them and see which looks neater. An untidy CV will make a bad impression even if the information on it is great.
• Start with the most recent information first and work backwards. This will draw the reader in, starting with older information eg GCSE results on a 30 year old's CV, does not create the right impression
• Tailor the CV to the job. You should have a personal profile section at the top and in that use the keywords from the job advert.
• Back up your claims with evidence or experience. For example I have excellent communication skills, both written and oral when I worked at Work in Mind - Consulting I produced vocational reports for customers and negotiated on behalf of my clients with their employers.
• Don't staple your CV together use a paperclip. Often employers will run your CV through the photocopier if it is stapled it will look tatty. Use a paperclip to keep the pages together.
• Keep a copy of a CV that you have sent off, and be familiar with it. If you get an interview you will be expected to be familiar with the information on your CV.

Work in Mind - Consulting can offer advice and guidance on job hunting and application skills. If you are a company who are facing making redundancies then call Suzanne on 07941 459 716 to discuss vocational support for your employees