In the current climate, with job losses and redundancies, its not surprising that there is a lot of strong candidates looking for new roles. 

Most people have a C.V and if they don't you only have to google it and your faced with hundreds of templates, ideas or even people you can pay to write your C.V for you.

It is a simple task, and it’s important not to make it overly complicated so we've put together our top 5 tips on how you can write a great C.V that will get you noticed for the right reasons.

1. Keep it short & sweet

Your CV shouldn't be more than a couple of pages if you've kept it to vital information. If its spilling over to more, question whether all the information you've included is relevant - does an employer need to know you did a paper round or won a baking competition. While hobbies and small jobs are part of your history - they are the bits you can afford to lose if your word count is too high.

You can also mention any extra relevant points in your cover letter and if you get to an interview stage, that's the time to flesh out your experience. Your CV is simply a snapshot of you and your career.

2. Make it easy on the eye

Your CV needs to be an effortless read. Keep it uncluttered with clear sections and titles, using bullet points to break up long paragraphs. Bite-sized chunks are much easier to navigate than a long piece of narrative. Whilst it needs to be eye-catching, it’s also not the place to experiment with funky typefaces and colours. Simple fonts such as Arial in black are most legible and translate well for most electronic devices and programmes that your C.V might be read on.

3. Triple check for spelling mistakes

Us recruiters are inundated with CVs, especially in the current climate, and spelling mistakes are a quick way to ascertain who might not have paid attention and put the right effort into how they present themselves. Even small grammatical errors suggest you have poor attention to detail and could put you out of the running - make sure they're banished from your CV.

It’s worth asking friends and family to review your CV - a fresh pair of eyes will be more effective at spotting the mistakes you've become blind to having worked on it for a while.

4. Focus on results

Potential employers want to know the impact of your actions, not just a list of tasks on your CV. Highlight your specific involvement in activities and how you made a difference - don't be shy about emphasising areas you excelled in. Statistics and results are incredibly powerful and give a real sense of the impact you made. Or even include any positive outcomes if you can talk about specific results. 

5. Include LinkedIn

Put a link to your LinkedIn profile on your CV. Employers can then see your recommendations, your group activity and any content you've created or shared. Or even people you are connected with - you might find you have people in common which can be helpful on both sides of the recruitment process. Just make sure your online profile is up to date and in line with your CV - most recruiters will look you up on LinkedIn anyway so it’s always useful to keep your profile current.

Aside from these basic rules, be honest and as straight talking as possible, and remember that your C.V is vital to get you through to an interview stage, after that there will be plenty of opportunity to let your personality shine through. 

Good luck!

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