CVs can get out of date fairly quickly, especially when we are all so busy, changing jobs, taking courses and changing responsibilities and roles!  Your CV is usually the first information a hiring manager reads about you so it has to create a great first impression, plus a CV can be forgotten about if you have been in the same job for a long time.

We’ve put together a handy checklist just for you to use for spring cleaning your CV.  You can follow this if you are thinking of applying for a job, getting ready for university, applying for a promotion or just want to get organised!

Declutter

Are there cobwebs that need clearing on your CV?  Give your resume a “Marie Kondo” kick into action and check out the following points to help:

  • Make sure email addresses, home address, contact numbers are relevant and up-to-date
  • Check out your summary section or personal statement to see if there’s anything that needs updating or taking out (for example, is a 10 year old work placement write up still lurking?!)
  • Delve into those qualifications – have you got similar qualifications with lower levels still listed?  Include the highest qualification only in that category to keep your CV spring fresh
  • Continuous Professional Development – yes, it’s constant!  Try to include the past 3 years only, otherwise you could end up with a super long CV and that doesn’t make for easy and enjoyable reading for a hiring manager!

Polish and Shine

Primp and preen to resurrect your CV to 2019 and stand out from other candidates in the hiring process.

  • Check the font you have used, if you haven’t updated your CV for a few years it might be an old popular font which isn’t so popular now. (Sorry Comic Sans, you’re just not funny anymore!)  Use a clear font that is legible and easy to read.
  • Does your CV fit onto 3 pages?  If it’s longer you can declutter by reducing the page margins (but not too much as you want all the text to print if required!  Reduce the font size slightly of headings, and make sure that the default “8pts after” that Word introduced to the Paragraph settings is switched off – this will help increase the available space on the page.

Feng Shui

Like the Chinese system of laws, you want your CV to attract fortune and abundance!  Pay careful attention to the order of your CV so the reader can make sense of your journey in terms of experience, skills, and education.  Check that you have included the most recent information and that the order is logical (chronological/date is usually seen as most logical from most recent to most historic).  Ask someone else to run through it with you, a friend, family member or trusted colleague. 

Items on your CV need to be laid out clearly and look presentable.  Compare your CV to a beautiful room, is there enough white space to make the other items look their best?  Could the presentation be a bit better?  Could you use a sprinkling of design on the headings and bullet points?  Does your CV have page numbers for ease of reading if printed out?

(You can check out our article on the format of CVs here: [https://abilityplus.co.im/2018/08/21/fashionable-cv-formats-do-they-really-help-to-get-an-interview/]

There’s a lot to be said for decluttering and it can make you feel great!  We hope this checklist is helpful and gives you the motivation to re-visit your CV.  How often do you update your CV and what part do you find most difficult to put together?

If you are changing careers, applying for a promotion, there’s definitely good reason for an overhaul!  But – even if you aren’t – updating your CV is SO important and will save you time (and use of memory!) when you do need to utilise it for your career goals.  If you are thinking of changing roles and are still worried that your CV is old and outdated after doing a spring-clean, speak to us for some support.  Be sure to check out our latest jobs for April on our website and follow us on your favourite social media channel/s, we are now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn!

Craft Applied ‐ April 23, 2019