In conjunction with our CV building workshop on October 8th, this week's blog post is a recap on our workshop for those writing their first CV, or those who just need a little refresher.
So, how should your first CV look? While there is no one-size-fits-all format, certain approaches and basic principles have withstood the test of time. As mentioned in our workshop, everything can be divided into content and format. Below are some of the key points that were brought up during the session.
Format: Size Matters
From the perspective of a recruiter, reading up to 300 CVs per day means they're more likely to give yours a brief scan instead of a thorough read. Thus, it's recommended that you keep your CV to a maximum of one page as a student/graduate. If you're having trouble fitting all your content onto a single page, tweaking with the margins, font size, and resizing sections that contain less information (i.e. the header) are quick fixes for this problem. This way, all the information about you as a candidate can be easily identified in one glance.
Content: Quality Over Quantity
While a two page CV may be expected of industry veterans, students and graduates may lack the experience relevant to their chosen position. While the urge to include all your experiences from a previous internship to a high school after school activity may arise, we recommend that you focus only on those that add to your set of skills and strengths that can benefit the company. Instead of treating a CV as a history log of all your experiences and achievements, think of it as a marketing pitch of yourself to the recruiters.
Format: Less is More
It may be tempting to go on Canva and tinker with flashy templates, but it may not be the best route to pick. Unless you're applying for a design position, avoiding a non-traditional format is recommended as ease of comprehension and readability is a higher priority for recruiters. Using clean, readable fonts with appropriate, consistent stylisations (i.e. only bold/italicise when necessary) can make it easier for the reader to grasp the information you're presenting in your CV.
Content: Making it Applicant Tracking System Friendly
More recruiters, especially those who have to go through large amounts of applications, are using applicant tracking systems (ATS) to collect, sort, scan, and rank the job applications they receive during the hiring process. To optimise your CV to become ATS-friendly, sticking with .doc or .docx Word document file types may be the answer. While PDF files may preserve the design of your CV, they are not compatible with all ATS software. If "PDF" is not specified as a compatible file type, it is best to play it safe and opt for a Word document file type instead. Adding keywords that represent the soft and hard skills recruiters are looking for may increase your chances with the ATS. A method to define and narrow down keywords is to first collect a few job descriptions that match the position you're applying for. Then, upload them into a word and phrase frequency tool like this Text Analyzer to identify terms that appear frequently in your choice position. If these skills or qualifications match your own, find ways to incorporate them into your own CV.
All in all, a CV is a marketing pitch of yourself that can get you to the next step of the application process. Don't shy away from showcasing your strengths, but don't exaggerate them either. We hope that this guide is helpful for all first time CV writers, and best of luck in your job application process!