Firstly, your name and personal details should be some of the smallest writing on the CV. The recruiter isn’t interested in your contact details they’re interested in your skills and experience. Yes, you need to put your details on, but it shouldn’t look like your advertising a blockbuster movie. However, … Your skills and experience relevant to the role you are applying for are!
Add a punchy, relevant profile at the top of the CV highlighting what you do and how well you do it. It’s the first thing recruiters, look for. It determines how far into your cv is read.
Check for grammar and spellings. BASIC!! But all too often forgotten. It doesn’t matter what role you are applying for. Bad spelling and grammar are inexcusable while using a PC.
Avoid long lengthy paragraphs. Break text up.
Describe your duties and your achievements of your most recent role. To simply say you were a Mortgage Broker between these dates for this company says nothing.
Did you ‘complete a fact find’ or did you ‘effectively ask open and closed questions to ascertain the clients personal and financial situation to enable me to make a suitable and affordable recommendation to cover their wants and needs’.
State what levels of business did you write in the last 12-month period? Don’t know? Then find out. Your recruiter wants to know and so will your prospective employer. If your figures aren’t that great, then explain why… What’s your penetration rate, conversion rate, your average LTV, your average fee per case… all this is excellent sales information to a new employer, and it highlights to the recruiter who is actually writing business and who’s just after a new job.
What have been your career achievements? No matter how big or small, your CV is your chance to shine. Keep older job descriptions smaller.
Get yourself on LinkedIn. It’s your social media CV and should match exactly.
What not to do…
Add a picture
Use a silly email address
Use crazy colours
Use a skills graph
List your job with the oldest one at the start. It needs to be chronological (current job first) and make sure job gaps are explained
Use an unclear font. This is not acceptable…
Apply for a job that you clearly have no skill set, experience or desire for just because it’s a higher salary or closer to home!
