If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to get a new job, then ensuring your CV is at its best ought to be one of your first priorities. Whilst it is always advisable to tailor your CV for every individual job that you apply for, it is still important to get your core basic CV just right. We’ve got a few suggestions for updating your CV that should hopefully help you do just that.

Keep it relevant

Although your CV is in essence, a 2-page synopsis of your education and career to date, that does not mean that it should contain absolutely everything that you have done. Is there really any need to include that part time bar job you had at university? Well, probably not – unless of course you are applying for a role in that sector or have had very little work experience thus far. Your CV should only contain information on your skills and experience which is actually relevant to the job applied for,

Differentiate yourself

If, when outlining the jobs that you’ve had on your CV, you simply list the standard job duties as they would appear on your job description, you are doing yourself no favours. What you need to do is ensure that you highlight areas where you excelled in the role – noteworthy targets attained, achievements made etc. By doing this, you actually will distinguish yourself from other candidates. After all, employers are looking for results – so what better way to prove to them that you can deliver those results than by highlighting on your CV some examples of how you have done that in the past.

Use the right keywords

Make sure that you are using terminology and keywords which are current and which match the role you have applied for. If your CV is outdated or does not contain some of the buzzwords which the employer highlights in their job ad or indeed which are common within that particular industry sector, chances are you will not be considered for the job in hand. This is especially true if you use an online jobs board to apply for a job. If your CV is missing the relevant keywords it may, in turn, mean that it won’t appear when an employer or recruiter does an online jobs board search for suitable candidates.

Detail is everything

Never underestimate the importance of good spelling and grammar on your CV. A simple typo could make all the difference between you being shortlisted for a role or not. After all, to an employer, that mistake may simply convey a lack of care and attention to detail. They won’t give you the opportunity to explain why the mistake is there – they’ll instead simply select another candidate for interview!  

Keep them guessing

Don’t reveal absolutely everything about yourself in your CV. Make sure that you highlight enough though to ensure that the employer’s curiosity is piqued and that they would be interested in you as a potential candidate. Your interview should be where you reveal all and provide the in-depth answers to an employer’s question. Look at your CV as a way of giving the employer a little taster, an insight if you like into what you’re about.

We hope that these basic tips will help should you be about to embark on updating your CV for the year ahead. Best of luck to those of you who are!