CV guidelines
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Don’t put anything on a CV unless it will help you get that particular job
Tailor CVs for each specific job; they will just see that you are a great fit for their role because most people don’t bother to do this
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Try to get your CV into one page – maximum two
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Don’t include a photo unless you’re applying to the USA
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Never send an unsolicited CV; tempt them to ask you for it
Use plenty of white space
Place your name big and bold at the top so the employer can find it when you arrive for the interview
Use bullet points for achievements using ‘problem, solution, result’. Quantify the achievement in some way
Put contact details at the top so it’s easy for them to contact you
Tell them only enough for them to want to meet you; tempt them to want to know more
You’ve 30 seconds to get their attention, so the key things that will appeal to each employer must appear in the first half of the first page
- Keep education to a minimum unless there’s a good reason not to
A good CV (especially in the communications sector where the majority of interviewers are unskilled and untrained) can have two functions: first, to make the employer want to meet you; second, to set the agenda for the interview by manipulating them to ask the questions you want them to ask. Usually they’ll question from a quarter to half-way down the first page of your CV, so put things you want to be asked about there
Make sure your social media profile does you justice. Don’t include anything that could let you down. Some employers search out prospective candidates when compiling shortlists