How to write a CV that stands out

Your CV is your first impression to potential employers. It is imperative it captures the attention of the hiring manager and it’s only purpose is to secure an interview.

Employers aim to identify that you can complete any given task effectively and are a pleasant person to work with. Ideally this needs to come across within 5 seconds of reading your CV enticing the hiring manager to call you for an interview.

Check out some of our tips below that will assist you:

• Take a look at suitable vacancies on job boards and take notes. Your CV should be edited to feature the relevant information taken from these ads
• If you choose to have a professional summary/profile, tailor this to the role
• Use the skills section to feature keywords that are relevant to the vacancy, this will get you through ATS systems who use keywords to automatically filter candidates
• Sometimes white space is your friend. Ensure your CV is well spaced and formatted
• Always provide evidence when talking about your experience. An example would be; Handled over 20 client cases going above target by 18%
• When reading your CV the hirer should be thinking - ‘how did you achieve this task.. I would like to meet you’
• Clearly show the employer how you can hit the ground running and provide value
• Generally a CV is read in an ‘F’ format, reading your profile first and then scanning your work experience, before more time is spent reading the full CV. It would be wise to ensure this section captures the employers attention.
• You do not need to include a full address, for example; Ealing, London, United Kingdom, is enough. Also do not include a date of birth or a photo, for professional CV’s in the UK

Legal Asset have created a useful CV template just let us know if you like us to send it over by emailing [email protected]