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Curriculum Vitae

Create a ‘top of the pile’ CV

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:06

What do recruiters and potential employers see when they look at a CV? Recruitment consultant Tina Milne suggests ways to make a CV stand out at a time when agencies and human resource departments are being inundated with applications.

Tina Milne Owner of Echo recruitment says that a CV should offer a comprehensive explanation of the applicant’s history and highlights the need to include personal details, especially the more uncommon elements such as marital status, number of dependants, or whether or not the applicant smokes.

Sections such as interests or hobbies should not be neglected as these areas are used by companies to determine the personality type, as Milne says ‘some employers are interested in this as they will see whether or not you will fit into their working environment’.

In terms of employment history Milne says applicants should start with a detailed account of their last three jobs and include any additional work experience in a summary format.

Based on six years of experience in the recruitment business Milne says the biggest mistake applicants make is applying on an email format. ‘When that happens the agency does not even look at the CV as it shows that no time was taken with their CV and therefore shows sloppy work which could be brought forward to the client.’

Instead candidates should carefully examine the advertisement or specifications set out by the company and tweak their CV’s accordingly. ‘Most agencies are looking for relevant information pertaining to the specifications, for example if it is a financial position, make sure that u have the qualification asked for that position, write down all that you do within the financial sector.’

Gaps in a CV are always a concern, to both the applicant and the employer, but Milne advises candidates to be honest about these periods of unemployment. ‘It is always best to be honest, should you not have worked for say 2 years and just stayed at home then give the reason why you were at home, always be honest, you do not want to get caught out later in a lie.’

Every position will require a different set of skills and experience and applicants should seek to highlight their strengths in relation to what is being asked on every occasion. With this in mind candidates should aim to limit their CV to three pages of concise and applicable information. Milne emphasises the need to be succinct, ‘most employers do not want to go through pages and pages of irrelevant information, they are looking to see if u are able to do the work u are applying for…’

Spelling and formatting are equally important and often overlooked. ‘Make sure that all relevant information is on the CV, make sure that the spelling is correct, make sure that the CV is a word document and that all the information supplied is in uniform.’

Not every applicant will be the best person for the job but being a contender for any position starts with a presentable CV and can mean the difference between an instant consideration and an immediate dismissal.

‘The advice I can give as a recruiter is to make sure that your CV is neat and up to date and that you double check the spelling before sending it off as your CV is a reflection of you. I have often seen CV’s come through that are shoddy, when I see that I get very despondent and leave them till last to look through, shoddy CV, shoddy work.’ says Milne.