If you can afford it, pay a professional CV/ Resume writing service, such as www.dazzlingcvs.co.uk to write your CV. It’s worth it in the long run and will pay for itself very quickly. However, if you can’t then here are 10 simple ways to greatly enhance your CV.

Having been a professional CV consultant for quite a while, I see these common errors recurring time and time again! My advice (of course!) would be to employ a professional and experienced CV consultant such as myself – see my website www.dazzlingcvs.co.uk. Not only will I get your CV / Resume right first time, the cost (and it might be a lot less than you think) will be greatly, hugely, vastly outweighed by the additional salary increases you’ll earn by using your new CV / Resume. Still not convinced? Then look at these 10 common mistakes and compare them with your CV!

1. Check spelling and grammar

It sounds obvious but I promise you the number of CVs / Resumes I see with basic errors is staggering. It’s even more unforgivable in an age where everyone has access to a spell and grammar check on their computer. Also, make sure you’re not using the wrong word (even though spellchecker tells you it’s spelt correctly) such as ’sore’ instead of ’saw’ or ‘there’ instead of ‘their’ or ‘it’s instead of its’.

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2. Keep it short and relevant

A CV should only be 1-2 pages long. Go onto a 3rd if you must but I strongly advise against it. I’ve seen CVs over 20 pages long! Do their authors really think an employer will read them all? And how much is really relevant to getting the job they’re advertising?

3. Don’t use unusual (unreadable) fonts

Unless, of course, you’re working in a (very) creative industry. As a rule stick to a well-know font such as Verdana, Arial or Times New Roman. Also, remember to never go below 10 point size. There’s nothing worse than a CV with far too much information crammed onto it in a tiny and unreadable point size.

4. Ensure it’s standard

Your CV / Resume should always be on white paper and printed in black ink. The only time you use coloured paper and coloured text is if you’re aiming for a creative role (and you should be 100% confident that this is the right move). Make sure you’re using a standard sized paper. For the UK that’s A4 (210mm by 297 mm) and for the US it’s American Letter (8.5″ by 11″). Variations on these don’t make you stand out, they just irritate the potential employer and make you look unprofessional.

5. Be honest.

It’s sounds blindingly obvious but it’s amazing how many people put false information on their CVs in order to sound impressive. A word to the wise: be totally honest because otherwise your ‘fibs’, ‘exaggerations’ and ‘memory lapses’ will catch up with you one day!

6. Sound professional

I’ve seen this so many times: a person is very disgruntled about a former employer and their anger spills over into their CV. They spend line after line explaining how their last employer was a crook, an idiot, a liar etc. It doesn’t make you look good. It makes you look petty, disgruntled and bitter.

7. Avoid jargon.

Are you sure that the wide range of acronyms you’re loading your CV / Resume with are industry-standard? Will the interviewer be familiar with all of them? And consider how they impact upon your CV. Do they really make it readable or does it just sound like a page torn from a telephone directory?

8. One size doesn’t fit all.

It’s essential to tailor your CV to each opportunity. You should not have just one CV / Resume on your hard drive that you send to every potential employer. Each job will be slightly different and demand subtle differences in your skill set – your CV should reflect this. Remember to tweak it each time to highlight and emphasise the key points.

9. Stay on the point

Too many people fall for the temptation to ‘pad out’ their CV with unnecessary information. Often this is because they feel the pressure to fill 2 or even 3 sheets of paper. This is when we learn about their woodworking skills when they were 14, their trip to Ireland after university, their love of nose flutes and so on and on and on. Yes, of course spend a little time talking about your interests outside work but don’t overdo it. The potential employer doesn’t need to know about every second of your life.

10. Don’t forget the covering letter.

This is your chance to fine-tune your application, point out your strongest assets and speak directly to the employer. It’s amazing how many people don’t include one.

Remember, if all else fails, I’m here to help you – and I know what I’m doing. Good luck! www.dazzlingcvs.co.uk