How to Write a Modern CV

Wondering how to write a modern CV? Never underestimate the glorious simplicity of a really good CV and letting it speak for you and your achievements.

Whether you send out a PDF, word document, or have an online CV and portfolio through LinkedIn or another app or site, your CV is your chance to show your prospective employers you are who they need.

TIPS FOR CV'S

Here are our top tips on making the best personal marketing document you can and creating a great modern CV:

GET ON LINKEDIN

If you haven’t already, create a professional profile on LinkedIn outlining yourself, your employment history and skill set. It’s the first place most employers will look to either check out a prospective employee or hunt for candidates for a role.

You can list previous companies you’ve worked for and your skill set, as well as build a network of contacts and establish a professional profile that can be accessed by employers. Maximise the platform by joining groups, publishing posts and engaging with your peers and interesting companies.

Once you have built up a profile and feel that you are selling yourself as best you can (outlining your duties and achievements in each role you’ve had), you can easily start approaching head-hunters, managers and HR teams to put yourself forward to companies you want to work for.

Ensure you use a professional head-shot, don’t be too lengthy in your job descriptions and don’t be afraid to add as many skills that you can apply to yourself. Endorse ex-colleagues and friends’ skills so they will be likely to return the favour and boost your profile!

If you are unfamiliar with this platform, then take our LinkedIn for Job-seekers Online Course and learn exactly how to use and maximise LinkedIn for just £30!

MAKE YOUR CV CREATIVE, MODERN AND UNIQUE

If design is not your speciality, search online to find a free or purchasable eye-catching CV template that will showcase your employability in a visually appealing way.

Your CV could be an infographic, video or slideshow, pick a format that most represents you and your area of expertise. Or it could be an attractive PDF document which includes an embedded video or some pie charts or a graph showing your strengths and skills.

Think of this document as marketing material for your personal brand, you want to turn heads and get people to invest in you, so market yourself!

Use a clear, readable font and ensure you highlight sections that are most important. Include hyperlink text linking to things you have either created or been involved in (articles, videos, campaigns, projects or other supporting material).

If you want to learn how to make a truly creative CV or other piece of work whilst boosting your employability, then try one of our Adobe Certification Courses.

For further advice on how to write a successful CV, take a look at our blog-post.

SHOW THEM YOUR PERSONALITY

Your prospective employers will want to know who you are and if you’ll be a good fit with the company culture. A good way of doing this ahead of the interview stage is to send a video as part of your CV.

You don’t need to hire a camera crew or know the ins and outs of video editing to do this, you could record a simple video on your laptop or phone, edit it with an easy-to-use video editing app and just be yourself. Note down what you’d like to say beforehand, rehearse once or twice and then go for it!

Keep it short (under two minutes ideally) and just be yourself. Tell them who you are, what you’ve done, what you love, what you’re good at and what you’d like to develop.

INCREASE YOUR EMPLOYABILITY IN EVERY WAY YOU CAN

You can do this by volunteering, taking part in charity events, helping a friend launch a new business or taking a class in something and getting an extra qualification.

There are so many ways you can push yourself to stay ahead of the curve and be the best on the pile. If you feel that you would benefit from better IT skills or better knowledge of certain pieces of software, then take an online course such as one of our Microsoft Office Specialist courses or an information technology course. If you’re looking to get into marketing but you haven’t got much digital experience, then take one of our social media courses and put yourself ahead of the curve. Add these qualifications to your CV and you’ve shown yourself to be eager to learn all of the latest trends and technology.

By the end of it you’ll be more qualified, more employable and more confident in taking on a role you want and deserve.

Furthering your education after your main schooling is always a sound investment in yourself and your future.

WRITE A SOLID GOLD COVERING LETTER SPECIFIC TO THE ROLE YOU’RE APPLYING FOR

Some things remain the same. You can dress up your CV in any creative way you want but that covering letter needs to be written specific to the role and carefully thought out.

Give clear evidence and examples of how you are a good fit for the role and the company, and talk about the role and company themselves, including what excites you about joining the team. Be confident, be eloquent and show that you have done your research on the company.

For more information on how to write a covering letter, have a read of our blog-post.

We hope this was a useful post to read and don’t forget you can boost your employability by taking any of our online courses! View our course list and step into your future!