The fact is, like the great British Summer, the perfect CV doesn’t exist.
One of the first things we are taught from secondary school all the way through to University is the importance of a good CV. We’re taught how to write a CV, what type of content to add, the format and even how to write a compelling personal statement. Once you have created your CV and you’re happy with it, stop, otherwise you run the risk of over-working it and wasting hunting time. Remember if your application is good enough, you will get noticed. Instead use the extra time to check your online footprint.
This doesn’t mean you should screw up your CV and give in – after all, a CV is an extremely important tool for job seekers. But it would be wrong to suggest that you should consider a CV and cover letter as the only tools in your arsenal. Our lives are becoming increasingly more digital and social media has a huge impact on our daily lives. One question recruiters have been asking themselves is, how important are CVs for digital savvy Generation Y graduates?
A graduate can spend hours tweaking and polishing their CV and cover letters and forget how important their online footprint is to an employer. It’s essential that you consider your social media footprint when job searching: how you use and what you post on your social media platforms must correlate to your CV.
- Facebook: To avoid any embarrassing photo being seen by your potential employer, adjust your privacy settings so only your own network can see your updates and personal information.
- Twitter: Whether you are on Twitter to find a job or just for social purpose, it may be worth re-thinking some of your tweets. Watch out for any tweets about your current employer or your bad experiences in an interview. In fact watch out for anything that may stand in the way of you and your next job.
- LinkedIn: Unlike Twitter and Facebook, the premise of LinkedIn is fairly fixed as a professional networking tool. Some graduates make the mistake of just uploading their CV on their profile. Fill your profile with short and relevant work experience examples plus any key achievements while you were there. And make sure you choose your profile picture carefully – no holiday snaps please! In short, make sure that your profile is 100% complete and up to date.
Ticked all the boxes above? Let’s revisit these quick tips to make sure you are giving yourself the best opportunity to shine in front of those graduate recruiters you’ll be sending your CV too:
- Big is beautiful: Typically a shorter, compact and information-rich CV will produce a bigger impact than one that is two or more pages long. Focus on one key area and remove any sections that don’t reinforce your main theme.
- Just create one: A very common mistake is to create one single CV and send the same one to all recruiters. Granted this is the easy way but tailoring your CV according to the job specification is key.
- Personal Statements are key: Your personal statement should not focus on you but how you could be an asset to a company.
Don’t forget we have a range of graduate jobs and summer and year-long internships available.