We’ve designed this CV template with professional positions in mind. However, it will easily adapt to just about any job role. It’s also super easy to expand, delete and modify to meet your exact requirements, like most of our templates.
Here are some tips for getting the best out of your free CV template download:
Keep it to the point
Employers spend an average of around 10-20 seconds filtering through applications. So you need to make sure they can easily skim yours for the key information they’re looking for. Lengthy and wordy CVs will fail this test and find their way into the bin – 5 ways to ensure your CV doesn’t end up in the bin.
Keep everything to the point, and try to keep as much information as relevant as possible. The employer is mainly interested in seeing what skills and experience you have to offer them. If you decide to give them your entire career history, the good parts will sink into the background.
Personalise it to the role
People used to send out the same CV in bulk to every job opening going. Perhaps in the past that might have worked, but not any more. Unfortunately there are so many candidates for each position now, employers have gotten really picky. They know exactly what they’re looking for and you need to make sure your CV clearly shows you have the experience, qualifications and skills they’ve asked for specifically.
Write a personal statement
Your personal statement or objective is a great chance to catch their attention in those 10-20 precious seconds. Sadly, most people waste it with cliché words or statements such as ‘team player’ or ‘hard worker’. Trust us when we say this is NOT what a recruiter wants to read. Instead, keep your summary factual and to the point.
For more help, read the first point in our post ‘4 super easy ways to make your CV stand out‘.
Keep your CV up to date
You’d be surprised how many people leave off their current job role or send out CVs with old contact information on. Make sure everything on your CV is completely up to date before it goes out. The same goes for the contact information of your references. Get in touch to check their current job title and company address – email and contact number also.
One of the best ways to ensure your CV remains up to date is to make a note when something significant happens. It’s easy to forget how important your CV is when you are in full time employment. But if and when the time comes to move on to new pastures, you may have a few skills to add.
When anything important happens at work you should make a note of it. This could be anything ranging from promotion to moving department. Learning a new skill or gaining a qualification again should be noted. If you are able to keep track of everything it will be much easier to add to your CV at a later date.