Please send us your CV! It’s the first thing a recruiter will see…So let’s make sure it’s perfect!

Writing or updating your CV can seem like a real chore but trust us – it’ll be worth it and really doesn’t need to be the big job it seems.

Your CV is the first thing a recruiter or prospective employer will see; if you were a shop, this would be your window (run with me here) so keep it clean, tidy and only display what you can realistically offer.

Lengthy personal statements, war and peace or what you had for your tea, don’t need to feature. We’re looking for the cold, hard facts, so here’s our nippy little guide to creating or updating yours quickly and easily, no dramas…

Contact Details…

We’ve read your CV and you look great; just what we’re looking for in fact. We’re excited to match you to your perfect job and are picking up the phone to dial your number….buuuut it’s not there, or it’s your old one, or your mum’s, or missing a digit. Can you see our frustration?

Always include your full name, best telephone/mobile number and email address. Your postal address is also ideal so we are able to match you to roles within your local area/a commutable distance from home.

Keep it simple…

Apparently it only takes a recruiter an average 7 SECONDS to review a CV. We’d love to refute this but if we’re honest it’s fairly accurate so, as we’ve mentioned above, this isn’t your dissertation, keep it brief. The lengthy stuff can be discussed in person when you meet your consultant or interviewer.

In reverse chronological order (most recent employer first) list your career history including the organisation name, your job title and accurate start and finish dates with a short description of your role and responsibilities.

Credentials, credentials…

Whilst we don’t need to know if you swam your 25m when you were 8 years old, we do need to know if you have the qualifications and training specific to the role for which you’re applying. You don’t want disregarding if we can’t see what we’re looking for or it’s hidden amongst a long list of irrelevant achievements. We’re proud of you we really are, but cut the ‘bumf’.

Include full qualification or training titles as well the date of achievement/award. Displaying your highest level of qualification or most recent training certificates, excluding those which are out of date would be our advice.

Tell the truth…

The chances are that recruiters and employers will be looking for particular experience, skills or qualifications and to bag your dream job it might be tempting to embellish, tell a white lie or in some cases point blank make it up. Don’t do it. Any reputable recruiter or employer will undertake

in-depth screening and obtain references as well as evidence of credentials and experience. Nobody likes a Pinocchio!

Be honest and truthful and we promise to do the same in return. There’s no harm in saying that you don’t have certain skills, but are more than willing to learn.

Check, check and check again…

With all the experience and qualifications in the world, typos, spelling mistakes or grammatical errors can let you down in an instant. In the glorious world of modern technology, it only takes a click to give your fabulous new CV the once over, so don’t be tempted to skip this vital step which we ‘pinky promise’ makes all the difference!

Spelling and grammar not your thing? Get someone else to look over it for you and amend accordingly if you are serious about getting fixed up.

Happy CV writing! Lots of Love, The Ashberries