It’s a job we all dread, updating our CV. After all, it is the single document that we are judged on by those we want to employ us. We fuss around with the formatting, changing words so many times they are the same as when we stated. And all of this is done when we are rushing around actively applying for jobs. But today, I am going to encourage anyone reading that even if you are not looking for a job now, pay yourself forward and spend ten minutes with a hot cup of tea and start updating some sections of your CV. We are so acutely aware of the fact that we need to tailor our CV to the specific job we are applying too, but this does not mean that isn’t worth our time to continually refresh our CV as our roles change? And below, I have outlined five ways you can do exactly that.
ONE: LIFE CHANGES, SO SHOULD YOUR CV
Firstly answer this, have you updated your CV in the past month? If the answer is yes, you can probably move along and closet his page. Of the answer is no, I do believe you owe it to yourself to add one bullet point today.
A month can be such a long time when it comes to our careers. So ask yourself this, since the last time you reviewed your CV have you been given any new responsibility? Have any projects you work on and oversee been a success? Have you got a new job or promotion? Have you taken any courses either at work or outside of work? These are only a few examples of the questions you should be asking yourself, and these changes should undoubtedly be represented on your CV.
This time also acts as a time of reflection to pat yourself on the back for all that you have achieved or to go to your line-manager and discuss why your role may not have developed the way you expected and how you can combat this head-on with future opportunities.
TWO: COMPLIMENT THAT LINKEDIN
LinkedIn is crucial for networking in the modern day, and for general professional visibility. If you don’t already have a profile, I suggest you go and set one up right now. If you are also reviewing your CV, it is also a good idea to update your LinkedIn as well. LinkedIn also offers the chance to add articles and graphics to display exactly what you are saying. Bonus points if you also review the all-important ‘skills’ section.
THREE: TIME FOR A TEMPLATE REFRESH
Stuck with one of those templates created by Microsoft Word? Join the club, literally. Imagine the number of people who also just clicked the first ‘resume’ template that first loaded when they opened Word and just ran with it? We are always being told that recruiters have mere seconds to read each CV, that better reason is there to find a template that compliments our work experience perfectly whilst not blending in with the rest of the CV’s in the pile.
The internet is awash with templates for all the different categories of careers in the world. If you are a creative, how can you best reflect your creative flair in a two-page document? An accountant, what layout will best ensure your qualifications stand out alongside your work with clients? A graduate, a format that outlines relevant modules in an eye-catching way may be best.
Basically, it boils down to ensuring that a recruiter’s eye gets caught directly what you want them to see, in a logical and memorable way. And in 10 minutes you may find exactly how best to do that.
FOUR: CHECK THE MUNDANE
Is all of your contact information right? Have you recently changed your number or address? Our lives move at such a fast pace that these facts we often dismiss as ‘mundane’ are forgotten and pushed to the very back of our minds. It is also worth conducting a quick spelling and grammar check. It is so much harder to edit our work when we have just written it, so the space you have had since the last time you opened the document may just be the space you need to be ruthless with yourself and get rid of chunks of information that either don’t make sense or doesn’t represent your accomplishments in the best way possible.
FIVE: BE PREPARED
As the Scouts mantra goes, you should always be prepared. Remember the last time you were applying for jobs and how excruciating writing your CV was? Pretty terrible right. As humans, we acne be utterly useless at shouting our own praises. If we all keep our CV’s up to date the next time we are actively applying for jobs or just putting feelers out there we will have a solid foundation to build up from. And that can be simply priceless.
So I propose that once a month, we should all spend a little time reading our CV and making sure that it puts all of our best attributes forward and actively represents the hard work that we all do on a daily basis.
0 comments:
Post a Comment