229 free CV templates in Microsoft Word | Page 7

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Latest CV templates:

Free download: lush foliage Word CV template

Our Lush Foliage CV template is made up of striking fonts and vivid greens, ensuring that your CV isn’t missed on the pile! Deep rich colours and jaw-dropping fonts make this stunning one-page template stand out.

Free fresh one-page Word CV template

This is a fresh, one-page CV template that is easy to customise with optional space for a photo, an optional background image and easily customised sections. Icons are used for hobbies and contact details.

Free Take a Leaf Microsoft Word CV template

This delightful CV template features a subtle leaf background (which can be removed if desired). The skills circles which indicate skill proficiency can be adjusted by dragging the yellow pointers to the desired position.

Journey free CV template in Word format

There is plenty to customise with this lovely free one page CV template including the colour scheme, background, picture, icons and adjustable sliding skills bars. Let your creativity run wild and make it your own.

Free Minimalist CV template download in Word

Sometimes simple is best & that can be said for this black & white no nonsense CV template. It is an eye-catching clean 1-page design that’s sure to make an impression. There’s space on the right for a photo if required.

Free Tables CV template in Word format

A 1-page Word CV template that uses a 2-column layout. Space for a photo, sliding skills bars & attractive icons. Best suited to a role where a lot of work history detail is not needed or you intend to attach a portfolio.

Free Microsoft Word Box detail CV template

A striking template that splits the page into black and white, using bold fonts, spacing and alignment to present your information in a visually stunning way. A one page template that works great in PDF format.

The only 5 tips you need to write a professional CV

Writing a professional CV is a must if you want to stand a chance of getting a job interview. The employer could have anything between 20-50 applications to read through, which means yours needs to stand out.

So how do you make your CV stand out and catch the hiring manager’s eye? Well, read on and we will reveal all. We have the 5 ultimate tips to help make your CV beat the competition.

Be unique

"Your unique selling proposition and its message should be echoed throughout all stages of recruitment - when your interviewer asks you ‘why should I hire you?’, within application forms and throughout your CV, and in your cover letter. The main thing to remember is that it focuses on the unique value you can bring to your potential employer’s table, rather than the clichés and common attributes that everyone else will claim to possess."

~ James Ball, founder and owner of Coburg Banks

Every employer is looking for an individual who stands out from the rest. It isn’t enough to simply tick all the boxes and provide the skills, qualifications and experience they require. You need to go that one step further and create a USP (unique selling point).

Check back over your achievements and work history to see what you have to offer that no one else has. Ideally you want your accolade or unique skill/qualification to be relevant to the role or the industry. However, if you have an outstanding achievement that shouldn’t be ignored, then always include that. It won’t matter to the employer if it isn’t directly relevant, as an outstanding achievement shows what you’re capable of.

Create an ‘easy to read’ format

It may be tempting to create a CV that has a very fancy background, lots of colour, or even photos of your work – but don’t forget what really matters. Your CV must be easy to navigate with clear headings for each section. Don’t make your CV overly complicated and create something which makes it easy for the employer to pick out what they want.

With so many applications to go through they are unlikely to read every single word. This means you need to write a CV that allows the reader to quickly get what they want. The manager may only want to see a certain qualification, check a couple of skills and then read your two most recent roles. This could be all they need to move a CV onto the next stage – which could be a more in depth read.

Consider using bold for all your headers and maybe even a slightly larger font. Leave adequate spacing between your sections, but not too much. Have a friend check it over for you and see if they can pick out certain details quickly. Many of our free CV templates follow this basic, simple format - particularly our lovely professional ATS-friendly layouts.

Tailor your CV to the role and company

"A mistake that many job seekers make is to read the job title of an advert, presume that they will be a good fit, and fire off their CV without even reading the specification in full."

~ Andrew Fennell

In the CV writing industry there are two terms that describe how you can write a CV. The first is called ‘generic’ which stands for a very much older way of writing a CV. It essentially means that you are writing just the one CV which can be used to apply for any role with any company. This generic format is considered lazy in the recruitment world and will fail to dazzle the employer.

The second format is called ‘tailored’ which is far more effective. This tailored and customised approach requires the job seeker to write a focused CV taking into account what the employer wants. We would obviously recommend you go for a tailored approach. This means you write a brand new CV every time you apply – even if the roles are the same or similar.

Try to match as much as possible from the job advert when writing your CV – including the wording. Inserting relevant keywords into your CV puts you and the employer on the same page, and shows your commercial awareness.

Don’t make a mistake

Spelling and grammatical mistakes often lead to uncertainty and doubt in the mind of the employer. What if you are prone to making mistakes all the time? What if you are inconsistent? Are you really interested in the role?

One simple error will cast doubt and taint your entire application. It may be a reflection of you, but on the other hand it could just be an honest error made under the pressures of job hunting. That may not matter to the employer though as they have lots of other error-free CVs to choose instead.

Ask a friend to check over your CV before it goes out to prospective employers. Don’t forget that an error doesn’t just come down to your language skills. It also relates to the format and presentation of your entire application – including cover letter.

Write about your proven track record

Your CV is not an opportunity to list every single thing you’ve ever done and what you can do now. It’s also about how you performed, what you achieved, and what you’re capable of achieving in the future. This means you need to show your results!

Write a CV that not only lists certain relevant tasks for your previous roles, but also shows the employer your results. Every bold statement you make about your skills needs to be backed up with how those skills performed.

A good way to describe how to approach CV writing is – ‘show, don’t tell’. In other words, don’t just tell the employer how great you are – show them. Provide actual numbers and stats or even written examples of successful projects and tasks. There are also lots of other ways of demonstrating your skills through a portfolio. By providing actual examples of your work you give the employer 100% proof of your claims.

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