How to make your CV stand out

Your CV is one of the most important parts of your job hunt. It’s an employer’s first impression of you. And because of that, it’s what they use to decide if they’ll offer you an interview.

Make sure you don't fall at the first hurdle with our top tips for creating a standout CV:

• Keep it short and sweet
• Make it easy on the eye – and easy to read
• Triple-check for spelling mistakes
• Focus on results
• Include LinkedIn

A one-page CV is enough at this point in your career.

Can’t fit everything in? Ask yourself if all the information you've included is relevant. Does an employer need to know you helped train your aunt's puppy? The answer’s no (unless you’ll be working with dogs).

If something’s relevant but doesn’t fit on your CV, put those additional points in your cover letter. Plus, if you make it to the interview stage, that's the time to flesh out your experience beyond the headlines.

Remember, your CV is a snapshot of you and your career. It’s not a complete list of everything you’ve ever done.

Your CV needs to be an effortless read. That means using simple language, but also considering how it looks. Keep it uncluttered with clear sections and titles. We know you want to make the most of your limited space but don’t squeeze in so much that it looks messy.

Using bullet points is a great way of making your CV more readable. Bite-sized chunks are much easier to skim than paragraphs of chunky text.

Although it needs to be eye-catching, your CV isn't the place to experiment with typefaces and colours. Simple fonts such as Arial or Verdana in black look professional. No Comic Sans here.

Aim for a clean design – not a busy one.

Graduate recruiters receive loads of CVs, so they can afford to be fussy. It’s easy for them to ignore applications with spelling mistakes. They’ll have plenty of error-free CVs to look through, so why bother reviewing those with typos?

Even small grammatical mistakes suggest you don’t pay attention to detail. Don’t let a silly slip-up cost you your dream role. So, always re-read your application before sending it and use a spell check.

If possible, ask friends and family to review your CV. A fresh pair of eyes will be more effective at spotting the mistakes you've stared at for days.

Employers want to know the impact of your actions. They don't want to see a list of tasks on your CV; they need to know what happened because of you doing them.

Highlight your involvement in activities and how you made a difference. Don't be shy about the things you did. And make sure you give yourself credit. Employers want to know about you specifically, not your team. So, always emphasise individual responsibilities and achievements.

Numbers are great for backing up what you’ve done. Statistics are powerful and give a real sense of your impact. “Completed 20% more sales than the company’s average” lands better than “Sold more than my colleagues”.

Pop your LinkedIn profile on your CV. By visiting your link, potential employers will see your recommendations, any content you've created or shared and more information about your experience.

Before you add LinkedIn though, make sure your online profile is up to date and matches your CV. It shouldn’t be word-for-word the same as you’ll want to tweak your CV to suit each job application. But all dates and key information need to match. If graduate recruiters look you up on LinkedIn and spot major discrepancies, it’ll look odd.

Recruiters receive lots of applications, so you’ll need a CV that stands out if you want to get their attention.

Making sure your CV is to the point, tidy, typo-free and results-oriented will get you off to a good start. Adding a link to your LinkedIn is a great way of showing more of your professional self.

While this will give you the bones of a great CV, we’ve got more advice for perfecting each part. Want to know how to tackle your personal profile, education and experience sections? Check out our tips for creating the perfect CV.