No matter how far down the career path you are, you should always remember that your CV is the number one resource to help you around it – like an old A-Z Map book that employers want to read to guide you around.
Whether you’re an active job seeker or not, you should always make sure your CV is ready to go because you never know who’ll want to see it and when.
To help you make sure that your CV is the best that it can be, leading online job board CV-Library look at some common CV myths and bust them, one by one.
Myth 1 – You only need one CV
Wrong; your CV should be more of a template – ready to chop and change. It’s more common sense than a new finding, but tailoring your CV to the job you’re applying for is paramount to you getting a new job. If you don’t and just send off the same ‘generic’ CV to each job, you’re arguably less likely to be successful.
Employers want to know you’re focused on their job, so your CV should compliment the job spec.
Myth 2 – You should include your entire employment background
Part of the tailoring process is flushing out dead wood from your CV. While it’s vitally important to include your employment background, only include relevant experiences.
Employers want to know all about the things you’ve done that relate to the job. Moreover, they want to know that you have successfully implemented these things and will do the same for them. For example, if you’re a web developer going for a front end development role, it’s unlikely that your summer job as a barman during your university years will bear any relevance to your application – so lose it from your CV.
Myth 3 – Keep your CV black and white
Traditional thinkers will tell you that black ink on white paper is an unbroken formula to formatting your CV. And, while this might be true, injecting colour can make your CV stand out and make a statement about your personality.
With 2.24 million people out of work in the UK alone*, job competition is fierce. By getting more creative and less conventional with your CV will make it stand out from the pile when an employer flicks through the heap.
There’s no proven formula to CV writing – and you may even have your own set of rules that work. However, it’s always worth considering suggestions because you never know when you’ll need to pull out your CV.
*Office for National Statistics
