Is it time to give your resume a makeover?
As the busy summer tourism season gets underway, now might be a good time to make sure your resume is up-to-date. It can be all too easy to let your CV gather dust when you’re focused on studying, but reviewing it every few months will ensure you’re ready to put your best foot forward when the perfect job opportunity arises.
So why not do your future self a favour and make some time to polish your CV before Christmas? Below are a few things to keep in mind when you’re updating this important document.
Length and relevance
At the early stages of your career, it’s tempting to include every job you’ve ever had – from running your own lemonade stall in primary school to walking the neighbour’s dog in your teens. But as you get older and gain more experience, it’s often better to leave these early jobs out so your most recent work can shine.
This will not only put the focus on your best work, it will also keep your CV to a suitable length. Employers have to read a lot of resumes, so 2 pages should be the absolute maximum – or 1 if you can. A good way to manage the length is to tailor your CV to suit the job. Go through your work experience and ask yourself: ‘will this help demonstrate my suitability for this role?’ If the answer is yes, leave it in. If that answer is no, it might be worth taking it out.
Once you’ve edited your CV it might help to get a second opinion – ask your family, friends or tutors to read it and give you honest feedback.
Design and layout
Another thing to pay close attention to is the design and layout of your CV. Is it attractive and easy to read? Are job titles and key dates clearly highlighted? If someone glanced at your CV for 30 seconds could they get a good idea about who you are and what you’re good at?
Again, you may not be sure about this on your own – it’s a good idea to ask someone else to give you their first impression. There are also plenty of good CV templates available online to help get you started.
References
As most employers will ask your permission to contact references, you do not need to include these on your CV. You can instead write a line such as ‘references available on request’. But – that’s not to say you can leave this to the last minute!
It’s advised to stay in touch with former employers so that you always have their most up-to-date contact details. That way, when a new potential employer asks to contact your references, you won’t have to go into a last minute panic to find their details. It’s also a good idea to let your references know to expect a call.
So what are you waiting for? Time to get a red pen and edit your CV to make sure it’s as brilliant as can be! If you’re still in need of some help and support, remember you can reach out to your tutor for advice. Good luck!
Posted in Study From Home Tips | Tagged CV tips, resume writing, summer jobs, tourism | Leave a reply