Making your CV stand out

If you want your CV to stand above the rest, it must be information dense but at the same time should not be wordy. Beware of long and confusing sentences. Present your skills, education, experience in your field, and other pertinent information thoroughly but keep it succinct.

There is no standard format for the CV, but it's a good idea to check out helpful templates and examples online. These will give you an idea of the types of information needed and you can easily adapt them to your individual needs.

Choose an appropriate font

When choosing a font, don't stray too far from the standard Times New Roman or Arial. Keep your headings consistent in size and keep the body consistent as well.

Your reader will likely be skimming at first so your information must be appropriately attention-getting. At the top of the CV provide your full name and address, telephone numbers and email address. Be sure your name appears at the top of every page.

Emphasise your most relevant information

The next bit of information you give should be a synopsis emphasising your most relevant education, professional skills, experience, pertinent employment history and any other information that you want the reader to see immediately. Otherwise your most important information may get lost in the bulk of the CV and escape notice.

Plan before you write

Since your CV will contain a lot of information you will want to organise before you begin to write. List headings that pertain to your situation and jot down what you want to include under each. Don't be afraid to rework your CV until it sounds professional. Use vibrant descriptive terms so that your qualifications will be presented in their best light.

Use numbers where you can

Numbers are good on a CV. It's more impressive to say that you worked for a certain company for ten years and supervised approximately 36 employees than to say simply that you worked as a supervisor.

If you are seeking employment as a teacher, for instance, indicate that you have been teaching for a specific number of years and that you taught six core curriculum subjects and supervised non-curriculum activities with a total of 250 children in grades 3-6. Always mention a number when possible – number of years teaching, number of employees supervised, and number of awards that have come your way.

Euphemistic descriptions and job titles are valuable as long as they honestly describe your title or skill. For example, rather than say you answered phone calls, indicate that you were member of the Customer Relations team in your company.

Show your professional side

If the CV is thoroughly professional, the applicant gives the impression of being professional as well. This can result in the CV being viewed as above par. You are marketing yourself, and the words you use will create an impression almost as much as your actual facts and figures. If your selection comes down to a judgment call, this could make the difference for you.

Add a covering letter

After you have written your CV, you then write a covering letter that will attract the interest of the reader. This letter will include your reasons for sending the CV and your 'relevant background' in a nutshell, but you will not go into detail. You want to direct the reader's attention to the CV itself. Keep the cover letter short and sweet – do not go over one page for this.