Creating A Great CV
One of the most important aspects when looking for a Modern Apprenticeship is creating a great CV. If you take the time to get it right you will secure interviews in no time, if not, you may be overlooked time and time again by employers. Your Curriculum Vitae is a place to include all your work experience, education, personal achievements and a great way to sell yourself to prospective employers. Here we give you our top 10 tips on creating the perfect CV to land your perfect job.
1. Take your time
One of the most common things we see at Sixth Sense Training from young job hunters is a rushed CV. Missing information, spelling mistakes and grammatical errors are the main culprits and spending a little bit of time making sure your CV is detailed and free from mistakes can make a huge difference to your chance of success.
2. Express your Individuality
Many potential apprentices have similar employment backgrounds and educational histories so it is important to distinguish yourself and put your personality into your CV. Experiment with the layout, add an “about me” section, list your interests and hobbies, some candidates even create video CVs and go digital. Just make sure that your creativity doesn’t distract from the message by being difficult to read.
3. Keep It Brief
A good CV should be no longer than two A4 pages. This should be plenty of space to include all relevant information and not lose the employer’s interest.
4. Make sure your CV is up-to-date
Many candidates forget to update their CV regularly, and potentially crucial information is left out. Recent work placements and new qualifications are often forgotten about. However, they could be the difference between getting an interview or your application being passed over.
5. Tailor Your Application
Another common issue with job seekers is that their application isn’t tailored to the specific role they are applying for. Therefore, employers can tell you haven’t spent much time on your application. If you are looking for a Digital Marketing role, your application should reflect this and not focus on your interest in health & beauty for example.
6. Include a reference
Whether it is a previous employer, a teacher or lecturer or even a coach or youth worker, having a reference to vouch for you can be a great way of validating your application.
7. Ensure the CV is in date order
Your most recent employment and your highest level of qualification should always come first in their relevant sections. This allows an employer to easily identify your career path so far and your level of academic achievement. Make sure start and end dates are accurate.
8. Use a professional e-mail address
Although cuteprincessxx@live.com or weemadtoner@gmail.com might go down well with your friends, they do not give off a great first impression to potential employers. A simple firstname.lastname email address is ideal for job-seeking and allows you to keep all correspondence separate from your Topshop offers and restaurant voucher competitions so that job offer doesn’t get lost in the shuffle!
9. Always watch your font
Fonts like Comic Sans is never okay for a CV. A simple font like Times New Roman looks professional, is easy to read and won’t make recruiters roll their eyes.
10. Use professional language
In Scotland especially we tend to speak in slang, text speak and made-up words. Avoid phrases like “I would love to work for yous” and “A am” instead of “I am”. A CV is a professional document and it is important you must maintain a professional tone.
Now that you have the tips to create an outstanding CV, Sixth Sense Training wish you the very best of luck to find your new employment. To view our latest live vacancies, please click here.