5 Ways to Improve Your CV Today

This is a guest post by Andrew Fennell, founder and director of Job Description Library and StandOut CV, two leading UK careers advice websites.

Let’s start by saying that the past year saw some huge changes to both the recruitment industry and the job market. 

For example, video interviews became integral to recruiting (increasing by 67% last year), lots of businesses had to cut back on employees and thousands of professionals had to adapt to working remotely. 

So, if you’re on the job hunt right now, you might be wondering what else is new and how you can adapt your search to reflect the current climate. 

Well, to help you get started, we’ve pulled together a list of five ways you can improve your CV today and boost your chances of landing an exciting new role this year. 

1. Consider your structure

Although you might not have given it much thought, choosing the right layout for your CV can drastically improve your chances of securing an interview. 

Recruiters will spend just 6-8 seconds scanning your CV, so by placing the most important information near the top, they can quickly determine whether you’re a good fit for the role. 

You can choose the right structure for your CV based on the job description and what the employer is looking for. 

For example, if their key focus is qualifications, place your education section further up the page. Alternatively, if they want someone with experience, be sure to lead with this and shout about past roles. 

2. Perfect your formatting 

Why go through all the trouble of getting the content and structure of your CV perfect, only to fall at the final hurdle. 

You need to make sure that your formatting enhances your application and organises your content effectively. 

So go through your CV and make sure you’ve used headings, subheadings and bullet points effectively. And don’t cram it full of big blocks of text. 

Remember, white space isn’t always a bad thing.

3. Add new qualifications or skills 

Your CV can be made instantly better by the addition of some new qualifications or volunteer work, so why not consider taking on a new position or an online course? These can be done in your spare time and can be as long or short as is necessary. 

And not only do these give you another talking point on your CV, but they also prove to the recruiter that you’re continuing to learn and develop your skills.  

4. Remove any cliches 

If you haven’t updated your CV in a while, you might find that when you read it back, it is packed with cliches. 

These are overused keywords and phrases that recruiters have seen so many times that they could actually land your CV in the rejection pile.  

Some examples of cliches you need to remove include: 

• Hard-working team player

• Works well as part of a team or individually

• Proven track record 

• Great communication skills 

• Self-motivated 

The point is, you need to get creative and use better, more persuasive language that helps to sell your skills. 

5. Add facts and figures 

Following on from the last point, rather than telling the recruiter that you’re a ‘team player’ or ‘hard working’ - which as we’ve said you should avoid doing - show them instead. 

To do this, use facts and figures to highlight your past achievements and highlight how you’ve added real value to a past role. 

Plus, you should quantify these where possible. For example: 

• Increased social media engagement by 56% 

• Managed a team of 15 sales representatives 

This can quickly help the recruiter to see why you’re a good fit for the role and how you can add real value to their business. 

So, by following this and four other tips we’ve outlined above, you can instantly refresh your CV and boost your chances of getting a job today. 

About the author

Andrew Fennell is the founder and director of Job Description Library and StandOut CV , two leading UK careers advice websites. He is a former recruitment consultant and contributes careers advice to publications like Business Insider, The Guardian, and The Independent.