5 Steps to a Brilliant CV

Updating your CV is one of those tasks that everyone dreads doing! If it’s been a while since the last update, it can feel really overwhelming and difficult to know where to start. Or worse still – it’s been so long since you looked at it you don’t even know where it’s saved anymore!

 In this blogpost I’m going to breakdown updating your CV into 5 steps that you can address to create a CV that brilliantly showcases your skills and strengths to get you ready to land your dream job.

1. Remember your audience

Every time you apply for a role you should be tweaking your CV to make it directly relatable.  Where possible, format your CV in a way that it can be easily edited or re-ordered to bring keywords and relevant skills and experience to the forefront.

Take the job description of the role and prioritise your skills and experience in the same order and using the same language, meanwhile you want to also be highlighting the things about you that make you unique and interesting.

2. Use powerful language

Once you have written the first draft of your CV, go back through it and highlight all of the words describing how you did something. Try to find an alternative that has more impact or describes even more specifically what you did.

If you want some more inspiration, you can download my Power Words PDF here

3. Showcase your skills and achievements on page 1

I am a big fan of the skills-based CV format, and here’s why. The person recruiting wants you to make it really easy for them to see why they should put you through to the next round.  They are not going to be sifting through your work history to find that brilliant thing you did 2 jobs ago!

Use page 1 for your killer personal profile, a selection of key skills in bullet points that match exactly back to the job description and then 5 or 6 key achievements that tell the recruiter precisely what you want them to know about you and how brilliant you are.

This format works for anyone, but it’s a particularly good strategy if you are applying for roles that differ from your previous experience as you can highlight transferable skills.

4. Make it all about YOU

It’s imperative that your achievements focus on things you had a direct impact on and give examples of the impact you had. Coming back to your Power Words to elevate your language will help here.

Also, try to include something in your profile that tells the reader something about you as a person. What makes you unique, what are you passionate about or what sets you apart from the rest.

5. Seek outside input

Finally, once you have committed something to paper, ask someone you trust to proofread it for you. If you have access to someone in the profession or sector you work in, or want to work in, ask them to review it and give constructive feedback.

If you’d like more support, check out my new course Get Your Story Straight where I’ll guide you to get your CV and LinkedIn ship shape and ready to land your dream job.