I’m not sure I’m quite prepared for the job market so this week am writing my graduate CV. As a graduate its difficult writing a CV as you probably won’t have bucket loads of work experience in the industry you want to work in. For this reason writing your first CV can be a daunting task because you think you don’t have a great deal to put in it.
Writing a graduate CV isn’t easy because in reality you probably haven’t done any work in your field. Graduates are usually in this catch 22 situation so it’s important that your Graduate CV catches an employer’s eye.
Creating a Successful Graduate CV
A successful CV must sell yourself by demonstrating your knowledge, skills and personal qualities to employers. A well prepared and structured CV will improve your job prospects and give you the competitive edge in the graduate job market.
The best graduate CVs are the ones that get noticed and get you to the interview stage. The secret to a writing a successful CV to think about your audience – The employer. Supply a cover letter for each role you apply for to help support your CV and highlight your strengths and key assets.
A successful CV will secure you an interview and the only way that will happen is if you put yourself in the employers shoes. In short a CV must persuade recruiters that you are a suitable candidate for the role. The easiest way to grab their attention from the start is to provide them with the information they are looking for.
Your graduate CV is the first opportunity that employers will see so sell yourself. These CV Tips will get your CV to the top of the pile and not put through the company shredder.
After working hard on your academic qualifications writing a graduate CV seems a little flat because you have nothing to back up your claims and feel you haven’t got enough workplace experience. Don’t worry you’re not alone and I felt that way too.
Although you might not have years of work experience you can improve and create a successful graduate CV using the advice outlined here and avoiding common graduate CV pitfalls and mistakes. To help you write an impressive and first class CV here are my graduate CV tips so employers take you seriously and you land that job interview.
The Best CV Tips:
- Employers receive lots of applications so it’s vital your CV looks professional and stands out from other applicants. Think about what employers really want and write your CV for your audience. Always research company and the job role so you have a solid idea of what they are looking for. Above all else tailor your CV to meet the employers requirements.
- Keep your CV relevant to the role and show off your assets and qualities. Focus on what you can offer and how you fit the role. Including your key achievements and any information that is appropriate will help you secure a job interview. You have space so strip out anything that doesn’t add value. Cut to the chase and leave out anything that’s irrelevant or just fluffy padding.
- Your employment history maybe a little brief and on the thin since you’re fresh out of university so use your CV as a tool to show your potential and future career direction. What work experience did you do at school? Have you any hobbies or done any voluntary work that improves your graduate CV in some way? If you have had any part time jobs while studying then list them with dates of employment, job title, the company name and a details of your key responsibilities. They may not be in your field of expertise but it shows you have experience of the working world. Make any career history relevant and don’t undersell yourself, point out any responsibilities you’ve had and targets you’re met. Prove you meet employers skill set they need. Backup your case with examples that outline your skills, ambition, talent and potential.
- If you are fresh out of university then your education and qualifications will probably take precedence over your work experience. List your most recent qualifications first starting with your degree, A levels and GCSEs along with the grades. If you’re taken any other relevant training course then include them too.
- Presentation and layout will make your CV look the part so you give off the right impression. A CV needs to be clear, easy to follow and easy to read. Keep it simple and make use of headings and bullet points to highlight important information. A well layout and presented CV containing a relevant content is more likely to be noticed and give more attention by recruiters. Think about the presentation, layout and structure of your CV. CV’s are broken down into sections – Education and Qualifications, Career History, include any projects you have worked on and show the results achieved. Make good use of headings, font sizes, bold and italics, even colours – but don’t overdo it! Put your felt tips and wax crayons away. The last thing an employer will be impressed by is a CV written from top to bottom in fluorescent pink comic sans.
- Something else to keep in mind whilst designing your graduate CV is its readability. Employers and software will be looking to pull specific information from your application, without a clear structure that allows them to find the relevant sections at a quick glance they may simply give up and move on.
- Having a good degree but no work experience isn’t as bad as it sounds. Practical experience comes from all areas of life not just formal education so take into account other areas of your life besides your study. Employers want other skills besides your degree knowledge so describe the skills you’re learnt away from the lecture hall. Demonstrate your other abilities like team working, creativity, working under pressure and organisational planning. Even if you have limited hands on work experience or never had a job you can use examples in any part time work you’ve done and mention your involvement and any contribution you’ve made for the university societies and sports team you joined. Include extracurricular activities and anything that will support your graduate CV application. Mention any student societies you have joined and been a part of. Getting involved in extra activates and adding these to your graduate profile can enhance your CV and job application by demonstrating a willingness to participate and be a team player. Employer are looking for practical and soft skills too. Describe what you have achieved outside of your degree course.
- Keywords that highlight your skills are more likely to be picked up on by recruiters. Place important keywords in your graduate CV so recruiters and automated computer skill search software can find your CV when uploaded to jobsites. Having recruiters come to you and letting technology do the donkey work makes the whole job search easier. As a rule avoid jargon but if it’s a specialist or technical role then a light helping of jargon will help to prove you” know your stuff” but don’t overdo it or pack it full of acronyms which disjoint the reading tone or makes the employer fall asleep.
- If you have your own blog, Twitter or LinkedIn account add them to your CV. Employers may want to search for you on social media to see how you conduct yourself online. Help them find you so they can review and scan your online presence. Social media has a big influence on employers so include your professional LinkedIn profile. If you run a blog that can also help potential employers get to know you.
- Employers don’t want your life story. Employers tend to scan-reading CVs due to the sheer volume of applications or time constraints so keywords and phase matter a great deal. Keep your CV concise and short between 2-3 pages long with no obscure or strange fonts and colours . Avoid the usually waffle and boring sentences that other CV contain such as “I’m enthusiastic and focused worker” – That should be obvious because if you’re not keen to do the work then why bother employing you in the first place. If you do add personal statement section make it interesting. Any dull and boring CV will likely be rejected.
- Avoid the Cheesey Clichés that most CV’s contain. Statements like “I am hardworking, enthusiastic and driven person. I’m very passionate and blah, blah, blah” – FAIL! Employers don’t want or need to read this. If you’re not hardworking, enthusiastic, driven or passionate about the job then why would employers want or need you in the first place.
- Keep your graduate CV factual and don’t lie, tell fibs or bend the truth too much. Honestly goes along way and so too does a little exaggeration and embellishment but unless you do have a degree in quantum physics or been the mayor of London don’t put it on your CV. It will only come out at interview stage or later on if you can’t remember the made up parts. It will also be very embarrassing and create an awkward situation for yourself.
- Without stating the obvious check your CV for spelling and grammar errors. Nothing discourages employers more than seeing spelling mistakes and grammatical faults. Errors scream out and show that you have no attention to detail. Misspelt words and poor grammar will reflect on you and suggest you don’t care or haven’t put the effort in so get someone to double check and proof read your CV beforehand.
- Use CV templates with caution and custom and tailor your graduate CV to different job roles in your sector. A generic CV won’t carry much weight so adjust your CV strategy based on the employers requirements.
Following these graduate CV tips will help you produce a top graduate CV and help get your foot in the door for the interview process. You can also submit a cover letter with your application giving some extra detail and explaining why you want to work at that company.
A planned and well thought-out CV which is presented correctly will increase your chances of the whole thing been read and put on the shortlist pile.
A successful graduate CV needs meaningful content with shape clear presentation and design. The best CV tips will help you fine tune and create a powerful selling tool of your assets which can lead on to the interview stage and a job offer.
There are pages and pages of graduate CV tips and CV advice on the Internet but it’s difficult without any hands on experience so in a competitive market your CV must pack a punch and sell yourself.
Job hunting can be slow after university so it’s important you are also on the lookout for graduate schemes. Start looking in your final year at university for schemes that can give you a foot onto the career ladder and get your applications in early. Doing this will give you time to review and decide which scheme appeal to you most.
It’s also useful to attend any local job fairs and recruitment events in your area and have your graduate CV printed and available just in case you walk into an job opportunity to discuss starting a new role.
Finishing university should open up a brand new journey and open up the world of work to new graduates. It’s important you are prepared and write the best graduate CV you can. Your career ambitions are probably riding high or maybe you still don’t have a clue what to do next.
Don’t panic if you’ve left university and haven’t found a job yet. Give it time, you need to find a career and an employer that’s right for you. It can take a while to build up some career and employment history and internships can help you launch your working career.
Even if your career has a slow start remain positive and keep applying and asking friends and family to be on the lookout for suitable job roles. Having a solid and well written CV acts as an advertisement for you and your skills will help you find the ideal role.
Here are a few sites to help you with your job search:
https://www.careers4graduates.com
If you know of any more graduate job sites let me know in the comments.
