First Impressions Count: Preparing Your Graduate CV In turbulent economic times and when organisations are re-thinking their graduate hiring numbers, applications will become increasingly competitive and it is more critical than ever that your CV stands out. The excellent career, development and reward opportunities still exist but employers will only want to see the best candidates – therefore your CV is more critical then ever in securing you that all important interview. The spotlight for this article is to guide under-graduates on writing a CV that will help you stand out from the crowd - courtesy of CV Checker. Presentation Visually your CV needs to make an impact for the right reasons! Use a simple font, bullet points and succinct sentences. Ensure your email address is a professional one; some email addresses are humorous but not appropriate for your potential employer. If this is you, set up a separate address for your job hunting. Profile Many, many people describe themselves as good communicators, able to work in a team, highly motivated etc, etc... Being another 'one' in this large pool will not get you noticed. Really think about what will help you to stand out in the crowd. Academic Achievements Highlighting your academic achievements is clearly important. Be wary of simply listing the modules for your course – anyone doing a similar course will again sound the same. Focus on key projects, presentations or assignments and your dissertation. Additional Key Achievements Don't forget about other non-academic achievements that show relevant experience, successes and skills. Securing an internship in a competitive market is key, demonstrating project management to meet your dissertation timelines shows another critical skill area and leadership or key roles in University Societies and other such activities should be captured here. When reflecting on your achievements, think about the improvement, value add or outcome: "Elected as Treasurer of the xyz Society where increased fund raising by 20 percent" is much more powerful than simply "Treasurer of xyz Society". Work Experience Where you have work experience, show it. Again, focus on what is relevant and emphasize this. The internships or office experience needs more attention than the bar job. When capturing this on your CV, be wary of simply listing job responsibilities. Think about the specific project you were tasked to undertake or play a key role in – what was your input, how successful was the overall project. Consider the deadlines, volumes, targets if you were in a fast paced customer facing role – did you consistently meet these, did you exceed targets or expectations? Get your CV checked for free! Not sure about your current CV? Give your CV an update with CV Checker’s free service to get it in great shape for your job applications: Click here for your free CV check!

First Impressions Count: Preparing Your Graduate CV

In turbulent economic times and when organisations are re-thinking their graduate hiring numbers, applications will become increasingly competitive and it is more critical than ever that your CV stands out. The excellent career, development and reward opportunities still exist but employers will only want to see the best candidates – therefore your CV is more critical then ever in securing you that all important interview.

The spotlight for this article is to guide under-graduates on writing a CV that will help you stand out from the crowd - courtesy of CV Checker.

Presentation
Visually your CV needs to make an impact for the right reasons! Use a simple font, bullet points and succinct sentences. Ensure your email address is a professional one; some email addresses are humorous but not appropriate for your potential employer. If this is you, set up a separate address for your job hunting.

Profile
Many, many people describe themselves as good communicators, able to work in a team, highly motivated etc, etc... Being another 'one' in this large pool will not get you noticed. Really think about what will help you to stand out in the crowd.

Academic Achievements
Highlighting your academic achievements is clearly important. Be wary of simply listing the modules for your course – anyone doing a similar course will again sound the same. Focus on key projects, presentations or assignments and your dissertation.

Additional Key Achievements
Don't forget about other non-academic achievements that show relevant experience, successes and skills. Securing an internship in a competitive market is key, demonstrating project management to meet your dissertation timelines shows another critical skill area and leadership or key roles in University Societies and other such activities should be captured here. When reflecting on your achievements, think about the improvement, value add or outcome: "Elected as Treasurer of the xyz Society where increased fund raising by 20 percent" is much more powerful than simply "Treasurer of xyz Society".

Work Experience
Where you have work experience, show it. Again, focus on what is relevant and emphasize this. The internships or office experience needs more attention than the bar job. When capturing this on your CV, be wary of simply listing job responsibilities. Think about the specific project you were tasked to undertake or play a key role in – what was your input, how successful was the overall project. Consider the deadlines, volumes, targets if you were in a fast paced customer facing role – did you consistently meet these, did you exceed targets or expectations?

Get your CV checked for free!
Not sure about your current CV? Give your CV an update with CV Checker’s free service to get it in great shape for your job applications: