How Should A CV Look In 2021? — Workeri

Writing CVs can be painful.

Knowing the right layout, to knowing what words to use can lead to hours of staring at a blank screen.

But how should a CV look in 2021

We’ve put a few top tips together to help you create a CV that works!

We cover layout, wording, career breaks and more. Plus, if you were furloughed or made redundant during the COVID-19 crisis, we look at how to cover that in your CV.

So here are a few CV top tips to help you get your next dream job in 2021.

1. Make sure you include these sections in your 2021 CV

Your CV should include:

• You name
• Your location (but not full address
• The career path you are looking for (Marketing, Finance, Farmer)
• A short personal summary/statement
• Your work experience
• Your education (including any relevant courses, like First Aid, Forklift licences, Marketing diplomas, CIPD)
• Your skills
• Your phone number
• Your email address

You can also add:

• Volunteer work
• Freelance work
• Publications you’ve featured in
• Conferences you’ve spoken at
• Awards you’ve won

2. Use A Beautiful Template And Make Them Yours

The Coronavirus pandemic has led to the job market becoming more and more competitive. Standing out is more important than ever.

The standard black and white CV layout is not going to be enough anymore. When the recruiter is trying to remember which CV stood out, they will more than likely try to visualise the resume to find it in a pile. So if yours looks like everyone else’s, then it’s going to be tricky to pull yours from the pile.

You’re going to need a stylish template, but you should try to tweak it to reflect yours. There are hundreds of templates on the web, ranging from free to hundreds of pounds. Pick one that you feel reflects you.

3. Keep Your CV Short and Sweet

Recruiters can get thousands of emails for one job. And they are usually looking to fill multiple positions on one time.

They often spend less than 8 seconds, looking at each CV. So if your CV is eight pages long, chances are they won’t read past the third page.

A recruiter needs to make a snap judgement to separate the top candidates from the rest.

So, try to keep your CV on two pages at the most.

If you’re struggling, you’re going to need to be brutal about what you show on there. Try to condense down sentences, add bullet points, and delete information that isn’t relevant to the job you are applying for.

4. Keep your CV easy to read

As we mentioned earlier, Recruiters are busy people. You need to make sure your CV is simple to read and understand.

You can do this by adding a scattering of the below to help draw the eye:

Try not to overuse these though, as your CV becomes messy. A few here and there is all you need.

5. Show results, not just responsibilities

If you can, show your results.

Instead of:

“Helped manager improve Goods In process.”

You could say:

“Helped manager reduce Goods In checking process from three hours to just 45 minutes.”

Adding numbers not only shows you have an understanding of the job role, but you can execute that task successfully.

6. Use keywords common to the job description

Most Job boards and some recruiters will use an automated process to sort through CVs. These automated systems will look for keywords common to the role — such as skills or tasks.

If you’re unsure, head to LinkedIn and search for people who have the job title your chasing. Look on their profile for the “Skills & Endorsement” section. Write down the skills that have the most endorsements. Look for a few and make a note of the ones you feel are essential.

Try to work these into your CV naturally. You don’t want to stuff your CV so much that they are hard to read by humans. You’ll need to get the balance.

7. Put Your Most Recent Work Experience First.

A few CV advisors suggest putting your work experience in chronological order so that your first job is at the top.

However, while this might highlight how long you’ve been in the industry, a recruiter wants to know where you are now. Advances in technology and changes in law can completely change the way work is completed. The recruiter would like to see what you work on now and the results you get. It makes scanning your CV so much easier.

8. Show Your Preferences For Work

It’s perfectly ok to be fussy when looking for a job. If you are looking to work in particular locations or industries? Don’t be afraid to put that on your CV.

If you want remote work or an office-based role, put that on your CV. If you are happy to commute long distances, add that on your CV too.

It will reduce the number of recruiters contacting you with roles you don’t want. Or stop recruiters assuming you won’t want a position because of the commute.

9. Don’t be afraid of Career Gaps

Career gaps aren’t going to hold you back as much as you think.

If you had a gap of under six months on your CV, you probably don’t even need to mention it. Just put down the jobs you had. If they like your skills but want to ask about the gap, you can explain. But most of the time, they may not even notice.

If you had more than six months, perhaps for travel, caring for family or due to redundancy, you can put that on your CV. It’s also worth explaining that you used your free time to improve your skills and keep up with industry trends.

Sometimes, it’s worth setting up a consultancy business if you think you are going to be out of work for a while. This makes explaining long gaps easier. You can say that you did it for a while, but prefer a traditional work environment is enough to satisfy a prospective employer.

Need more CV tips? Take a look at our other CV and Resume articles.

Originally published at https://workeri.life.