Remember that when you apply for a job there will be many others also trying to showcase their qualifications. So, before you start writing, ensure that your CV stands out from the crowd by making sure you follow these 5 CV golden rules:
1. ALWAYS TAILOR YOUR CV TO INDIVIDUAL JOBS
It may sound obvious but tailoring your CV (as well as your cover letter!) to the job spec is important. Start by thinking what you can bring to the role and what the employer is looking for – these questions will help you to focus on the qualities that will help you to stand out. Showcase the skills and experience that the job requires and use keywords from the job description to show how you will add value to the company.
2. TRANSLATE YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE INTO CIVVY SPEAK
Your transferable military skills and experience are valuable on civvy street so make sure the employer knows it when they read your CV. First of all you will need to spend some time ‘translating’ your military appointment titles and any acronyms or jargon so that the reader will understand them. However, rank, honours and awards can be shown if desired – though if you have a medal or commendation you will need to explain what it was for. Once you’ve done this, link your military experience to the desired skills and qualities needed for the job and demonstrate how they’ll be useful to the role you are applying for.
3. BACK UP YOUR SKILLS WITH EVIDENCE
A list of skills on a CV can be meaningless to an employer unless you can back them up. Use clear facts to highlight your value to an employer and take the time to demonstrate your skills (specialist and transferable) wherever possible. One way you can do this is to provide figures as evidence. This can be done in a number of ways, for example you could provide some statistics around how much revenue you generated from a project, how many followers you gained from a marketing campaign, or the sum of the equipment you were in charge of. Another way to provide evidence is to include a link to your digital portfolio, so the employer can see examples of work you’ve produced.
4. TAKE OWNERSHIP OF YOUR CV
There is no one ‘right’ way to write a CV. Remember that your CV is about you and how you want to market yourself to a potential employer so don’t leave it to others to write. That said, it’s important to take advice on your CV. Ask a friend, relatives or colleague to proofread your CV and to give feedback on the contents.
5. PROOFREAD
It is so important to check your CV for typos and mistakes. Don’t waste all the hard work you’ve put into honing your CV by sending it out with errors. Inaccuracies in your CV will tell employers that you don’t have attention to detail. Use spell checker and get someone else to proofread it – even if you’ve read it several times it’s amazing how many mistakes go unnoticed in your own work.
Now you’ve got the basics covered it’s time to start crafting your CV. For further help with writing your CV, download our free cv template and accompanying step-by-step guide. Follow these steps and before you know it the interviews will be rolling in.