ISLM, Entebbe

STOP MISSING OUT ON JOBS. FIX YOUR CV WITH THESE 5 TIPS

4/23/2015

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Your CV is your face to the employment world. It's your marketing tool, and has to sell for you when you're not in the room. It can be the difference between getting an interview for that dream job and being rejected over and over again.

Yet, so many people make basic errors – these are the the top tips that will get your foot in the door, so you can really shine in front of your future boss:

1. Spelling errors are a death wish

Want to get your CV thrown in the trash before it's properly read? Then make spelling errors. You could have won three Olympic Gold Medals and earned a Masters' Degree at 15 – it doesn't matter, because all they'll see is that you forgot to capitalise your sentences.

Key Tip: Read and re-read your CV three times before you submit it to any job.

2. Keep it short

Know what puts people off? Five pages of your life story. HR Managers just don't have time. Unless you've worked for 20 years and have been CEO of a major corporation, you definitely don't have more than 2 pages to write about your work history.

Keep it to 2 pages or, even better, a page. It's all about making things easier for the person reading it. Oh, and that doesn't mean 2 pages in size 5 font. It has to look and feel professional and comprehensible.

Key tip: Write down all your experience in Word. Cut it down by half. Then cut it down by half again.

3. Three key takeaways

Guess how many minutes the average HR manager will spend on your CV.

20 minutes? An hour? Wrong? It averages out at 3 minutes per CV. That's 3 minutes to tell them about all your experience, hobbies and education. Oh, and sell them on you as an interesting and valuable employee. If you have only 3 minutes, you can't go on about when you volunteered at a community center as a 13 year old, or that two-day internship you did.

Think of three things that make you stand out, and then highlight those (in a summary at the top, or by cutting other things on your CV). Make them memorable: maybe you've studied abroad, or maybe you ran a small business at university. Having those stories will help them remember you out of the 100 CVs they'll read that day.

Key Tip: Give your CV to a friend who doesn't know you very well and let them read it for 3 minutes. Ask them what they remember.

4. Tailor the CV to the job

Every job, and every company, is different.

Think about this: If you get the job, you'll be dedicating years of your life to working somewhere. In the same way, the company will dedicate huge amounts of time and money to training you and building your career. What does it say if you can't spend just a few hours researching the company and tailoring your CV to the application?

Showing how your profile fits the role and the culture is subtle. For instance, if it's an established finance company you should highlight the qualifications you have, and the established brands you've worked with before. If it's a young company and the role is sales, highlight where you've had to sell things in the past (this doesn't mean you have to have sales experience – you can use examples from university, like a presentation you had to give) and your entrepreneurial spirit.

Key Tip: Never send the same CV to two employers in different industries. A bank should not get the same CV as a retail business.

5. Never, ever lie.

Ever heard of Scott Thompson? He was the CEO of PayPal, the biggest online payments companies in the world. He was fired because he lied on his CV as a graduate 25 years ago.

If he lied 25 years ago and got fired, imagine what an employer will say to a young employee who lied to them when they joined three months ago. It won't be pretty.

Key Tip: If you're unsure whether you're stretching the truth with an item on your CV, remove it and play it safe.

Bonus tip!

So, you've got the basics right. What else?

6. Make your CV reflect your personality.

You now know that you need to stand out. You also know how little time you have to do it. So, what can you do when you don't have a ton of experience, but you really want to company to consider you? Some ideas:

1. Use a video CV. Add a link to your normal CV that includes a short, recorded video of you explaining why you're the best candidate for the job.

2. Use unique formatting. This can backfire if it makes your CV hard to read, but a uniquely formatted CV can really stand out. Click here to read some examples.

3. Add a good cover letter. This is the best way to explain how passionate you are about the job. Make it short and personal.

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