The Biggest CV Do’s & Don’ts For Every Industry

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Trying to find a job can be super stressful and writing a CV can be even more time consuming. However, it’s no secret that a good CV can really make you stand out from the crowd and land you that interview.

While there’s no CV layout that will suit every single industry and some things might be more appealing to some industries than others, for example, if you’re applying for creative jobs getting creative with your CV could really pay off, but for a more corporate job this could backfire. However, there are some universal do’s and don’ts that will help you have the best CV possible and get you noticed.

Do

• Proof read- no one likes a CV full of basic errors and inconsistencies so definitely re read it a few times or ask a friend or family member to cast their eye over it.
• Keep it short and sweet- try and keep your CV to two pages maximum as no one likes to read pages and pages of info. Keep the info concise, as it gives you more to elaborate no during the interview rather than telling employers everything before they’ve even met you.
• Keep things in a logical order- start with your education and go on to your experience. Always put your most recent experience at the top, as this is often the most relevant.
• Use bullet points- this makes it easier to follow and digest the information.
• Keep it relevant- you might think you need to pad out your CV with every piece of volunteer work, skill or experience you have but an overly cluttered CV isn’t going to make employers want to read through it all. You don’t need to list everything you’ve ever done, just the stuff that’s super relevant to your field and worth discussing in an interview.

Don’t

• Use a horrible font- stick to one font throughout your CV and don’t try and mix and match
• Have unexplained gaps in employment- this will be an immediate thing employers will bring up and question, if you do have gaps in your employment be honest and include why you took time out, whether it was for travel or further study.
• Lie- sounds like an obvious one, but lying is only going to catch up to you further on down the line.
• Add unnecessary personal information- while it’s illegal, there is often bias when it comes to hiring. You don’t need to add your date of birth, ethnicity, a photo of you, marital status etc. as this could actually negatively impact you. Employers don’t need to know this in order to offer you an interview, so just stick to the career and education info instead.
• Format it badly- there are often CV templates you can download and use to help you lay your CV out in a way that’s easy to digest, rather than attempting to format it yourself.
• Add references- these actually just take up valuable space on the CV. It’s standard when applying for a job for a potential employer to ask for a reference, so if they’re needed they will request them later on, but they don’t need to be on your CV.

If you’re having trouble writing a CV or just need a helping hand, reach out to your personal tutor or university careers team as often they’ll be able to help you perfect it and give you tips and advice on how to improve.

For more education advice, check out the most sought after degrees by employers here.