CV tips for graduates

We asked our experts how graduates lacking in on-the-job experience should present their achievements around campus and during study to potential employers Simon Reichwald, director of Bright Futures a company that helps students make informed career choices, network with employers and develop employability skills Don't waste space on a personal statement: Personal statements at the top of a CV those three to four lines which use words to describe you such as energetic enthusiastic and committed add little or nothing as everyone uses them! "o instead use the space to write a career summary three or four lines outlining what you want to do as a career and why! #his is both different to the norm and helps you show some focus on what you want to do! $ocus is key for employers when recruiting graduates as too many applicants have no idea what they want to do! Plus focus and direction are still a rarity in graduates in my view! % typical statement that adds little or no value would read& '( am a confident enthusiastic and hard-working person! ( am responsible with a mature outlook and have excellent interpersonal skills and enjoy meeting new people! ( take pleasure in working as part of a strong team! ( am highly motivated creative and enjoy learning news skills!' #his is just a mass on adjectives for any role so with no real focus % better one would be& 'Career objectives& ( am focused on building a successful career in sales and marketing for )organisation name*! ( have deliberately looked for and found work experience in this area so ( know that the fast paced resultsorientated environment will give me the challenge ( thrive on! ( am a strong relationship builder resilient and motivated by success!' Lucy Cheatham, marketing director of rad Central a recruitment specialist in the !est "idlands Is your CV keyword-search friendly? +raduates need to be mindful of how CVs are searched and screened by employers and recruitment specialists! With the growing popularity of searchable job board CV databases and sophisticated recruitment databases able to run multiple keyword searches to find the perfect matching CV it,s really important for job seekers to create search-friendly CVs that show case their skills and competencies to the full! #hinking about the key words and phrases that recruiters will be looking for should be part of your planning phase when you,re writing your CV! Prospective employers will be looking for terms relating to specific personal -ualities key competencies and technical skills relevant to the role and the industry! .ey areas of expertise might include direct marketing social media marketing search engine optimisation and campaign management! .ey competencies could include teamwork communication and negotiation! /owan 0anahan founder of career management consultancy $ortify "ervices and author of #he 1ltimate CV

Give employers a reason to meet you: #he most common problem ( encounter with CVs at graduate level is that they are overlong and they don,t give me a reason to want to meet you right up front! #hink about the person who is scan-reading your CV in the midst of a pile of do2ens maybe hundreds just like it! What are the three things that person needs to know about you that distinguish you as someone who is worth meeting out of that large pile3 +ive serious thought to your points of difference in marketing terms your uni-ue selling point and put those three things up front in a visually accessible way! 0aking the recruiter,s life easier greatly increases your chances of being shortlisted! "o include examples from your work experience4internships or from your extra curricular activities that demonstrate accomplishment initiative leadership potential communication skills and the ability to work smoothly and effectively with others! Rob Cross, e#pert in graduate and talent development and author of rad $#pectations% the essential guide for all graduates entering the workforce ocus on value! not tasks: 5aving read hundreds of graduate CVs ( find it ama2ing at how many people are still fixated on telling us what they,ve done rather than what value they,ve delivered! (n writing their CVs what these people forget is that as an employer ( have customers shareholders and employees and each of these parties expect something from the investment or effort they put in! %nd because of this it,s essential that anyone joining our company is focused on adding value! With this in mind as you write your CV it,s essential that you focus on proving that you,re the type of person who can use your initiative to deliver real value! #his means writing a compelling story about value you,ve delivered not just the tasks you,ve done! $or example a person writing about tasks would state& 'head waitress at local restaurant' whereas a person writing about value would state& 'increased nightly takings and customer satisfaction 678 by implementing new training programme as head waitress'! When you read this second example you immediately take notice9 you want to employ them because they make a difference they add value! #his is what will make me want to give you a job! Richard Freeborn, national graduate recruitment manager at the bank, Santander Spend time on your applications% 0y top tip would be to spend a good amount of time on your applications! :very day ( see applications that have been rushed with some candidates just putting one word answers in boxes with a word limit of ;77! (t,s important to develop your answers logically stating the context what you did and what the end result was! <y following this loose structure you should be able to outline your answer in an ordered cohesive way! Linda Buckham, director, Careers and $mployability Centre, &niversity of Susse# "e relevant: #ailoring your CV to make it relevant for the job you are applying for is something students sometimes overlook! 0ost employers don,t have long to read your CV so don,t include irrelevant information the title of your dissertation for example unless it is relevant! (nstead describe some achievements and skills which you used when writing it! $or example& '$or my dissertation ( analysed and interpreted information from various sources including the internet and library!' %lso

be clever about presenting your experience! (f your most relevant experience isn,t the most recent you can split your experience under two headings& relevant employment and additional experience! 'onathan Black, director, Careers Service, &niversity of (#ford #mployers hire graduates who take responsi$ility and achieve things: (t can be a useful exercise to write the body of your CV using these phrases '( was responsible for !!!' and 'my achievements included !!!'! :ven if you don,t use those exact words it will help you avoid process descriptions '( attended numerous meetings to plan the student ball' and instead demonstrate what you were responsible for and what you achieved however little! $or example& '%s music officer ( was responsible for arranging the four professional bands who played at the student ball'! =on,t worry about the activity you,re describing9 employers don,t mind much whether it was the wine and beer society the rugby club the church or the orchestra as long as you can demonstrate that you achieved something! %nd don,t worry about the -uantity involved9 not everyone raises hundreds of pounds for orphanages in %frica raising >?7 from your friends for the local hospice is great too! Ruth !ilcock, careers consultant, Centre for Careers ) Skills *evelopment, City &niversity London %ailor applications for every role: (t is so important that when applying for a job that you tailor your whole application! :mployers want you to apply for the job they have advertised not just any job! <efore you start editing your CV or writing a cover letter or person specification research the position and employer you are applying to! What skills and experience stand out that directly related to your own experience3 (t,s important that you highlight this in your application! =on,t be afraid to shuffle things around on your CV with each job you apply for @if fact ( would recommend itA have a relevant employment4experience section on the first page of your CV so the employer can see that you have really thought about the position you are applying for and how it directly relates to your previous experience! With the experience you,ve had that is not directly relevant to the role highlight the relevant skills and activities you,ve used and been involved in so you are still tailoring it in that sense! Bour education4training section can also be tailored to the employer it doesn,t just have to be as dry as listing the course4degree you studied and institution you attended! #hink about your course work major assignments team projects or major research project like your dissertation! (f it is directly relevant and you,ve performed well list this concisely under the education section of your CV! Cot only does it demonstrate you have studied something relevant but you have been successful at using transferable skills that are important to the employer!