How to Make Your CV Stand Out

Recruiters receive hundreds of CV applications for graduate jobs every day, so it’s crucial you make your CV the best it can be. A recruiter has specific roles in mind when sifting through applications, so it’s essential you tailor your CV to every job you apply for. 

What’s your story?

Recruiters are interested in the route you took to get where you are today. Did you spend a gap year backpacking around Australia? Mention it! The less unexplained gaps in your CV and the more relevant details you give, the easier it will be for them to see your development.

What’s your Unique Selling Point?

Picture this: Ten people with the same degree, same grade from the same university apply for the same job. Who will be invited to the interview? The candidate who is able to stand out and draw attention to what makes them different. It could be that you were involved with a charity, organising events at university, winning prizes for outstanding achievements, writing a blog, etc. If you did something unique, include it in your CV. It demonstrates that you’re a well-rounded individual, and could take you one step closer to securing great graduate jobs.

Relevance

You earned your own money aged 14 doing summer work at an ice-cream shop, but is it relevant to the role you’re applying for? The two months you spent organising your university society’s ball working with Excel and developing time management and organisational skills, will impress your potential future employer much more. Show how you used skills that are relevant to this job in a practical situation and you will pass with flying colours. Support your claims with stats.

What’s your situation?

When applying for a job in London, for example, make sure you include that you are already there. And if you’re not, share how fast you can get there; “willing to relocate to x, y or z immediately”. If you’re not a UK citizen, it’s worth noting that SME’s (small and medium sized enterprises) are often not in a position to sponsor VISA applications, so outlining your citizenship and VISA situation in an application is useful, if applicable.

Mistakes

If your CV has any spelling mistakes it is likely to be discarded immediately. Send your CV to multiple people and ask them to check for typos and grammatical errors - it could be the difference between getting an interview or not.

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