CV TIPS

Recruiters are often faced with mountains of CVs and don't have the time or patience to trawl through a rambling document. Remember that your CV is only the first step, a way of getting your foot in the door, so keep it punchy. Make it no more than two sides of A4 paper and save the real detail for your interview.

Take time to adapt your CV to each individual role you apply for. Research the company and use the job ad to gauge what it is really looking for in an employee. Link your skills and experience to the requirements of the role.

Gaps invite the recruiter to guess what you were up to, so instead of allowing them to make their own assumptions, give them the details. Even in time out of employment you can develop soft skills such as communication, teamwork or project management. You should update your CV regularly, regardless of whether you are actively job seeking, to avoid having to recall distant points in your career.

One of the easiest ways for recruiters to weed out weaker CVs is to scan them for errors. If you fail to check your CV for basic spelling and grammatical mistakes, you are setting yourself up for a fall at the first hurdle. Most errors can be rooted out using your PC's spell-checker, but you should also ask someone else to read your CV and give you their opinion.

It's one thing to highlight the positives on your CV, but telling blatant lies is a bad idea. You are highly likely to be caught out and your application rejected. Many companies check the facts - such as qualifications - that candidates supply. And a good interviewer will soon spot any inconsistency in your story, even if it concerns your leisure activities. It would be hugely embarrassing to be caught out by an interviewer who's an expert in your half-baked hobby.

At Ashe Consulting, we have many years experience in producing CVs that promote your skills and experience to great effect. For further assistance please feel free to contact us.