Top CV Tips for Post-COVID Job Applications
If the ongoing COVID-19 crisis has taught us anything, it’s that we are walking into a very different world to the one we knew pre-Coronavirus. With millions of Britons furloughed, already out of work, or facing redundancy in the near future, it’s easy to assume that finding a new job will be an impossibility. Whilst there’s no sense in denying the job market seems a far tougher landscape than it was before COVID hit, there are still opportunities out there for the taking. The job market has changed, and so must the way you approach job hunting, and how you portray yourself to potential employers. The first impression you get to make is through your CV. Read on to discover our CV tips, that will enable you to stand out from the crowd, at a time when we’re all getting used to staying indoors!
CV Writing Tips
If you are among the millions of Britons who have been made redundant, or have been otherwise forced to begin job hunting, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it won’t do any harm to mention this fact in your CV. Explaining that gaps in a CV are due to redundancy will not devalue your CV in any way; rather, it is a means to an end of explaining exactly why you are looking for work, and for how long you have been doing so. Though gaps in CVs are looked upon unfavourably in some recruitment circles, the COVID-19 crisis has already had a profound impact on the ways in which employers view their hiring processes, and how measure the value of skills in incumbent and prospective employees.
The bottom line when it comes to CV tips, is be professional in all aspects of your CV, but be honest. Leaving unexplained gaps in a CV is far more likely to create a negative first impression, as employers may assume you have something to hide. Rest assured that if you have left jobless as a result of COVID-related cuts, you are not alone. A new age of employment is approaching, wherein a person’s actions and work ethic are of far more importance than the fact you left a previous job so soon after joining. Provided you are as up-front and honest as possible about all aspects of your application, your aptitude and suitability for a new role will shine through.
Writing An Excellent CV
As the first impression of you a potential employer will see, a good CV is an encompassing reflection of your life and work ethic, not merely your previous work experience alone. Our top CV tips can be broken down as follows:
DO talk about more than just your academic and professional experience. Though a CV is a professional document, employers will relish learning that there is more to you than meets the eye. It is perfectly appropriate to include a ‘skills and interests’ section in a CV, particularly if these interests have enhanced your professional skill set in some way.
DO tailor your CV to a specific field. A ‘catch-all’ CV might be appropriate for those who are applying for work across multiple different fields, you may want to consider tailoring you CV to demonstrate skills you have built that are specially relevant for the job you’re applying for. Go into detail where applicable, explaining exactly what you learned at each stage of your career, and how these experiences have set you up for future success. This is especially relevant when it comes to a career change — transferrable skills are among the most important and versatile, so don’t be afraid to highlight these in a CV.
DON’T waste space. Outdated or irrelevant skills and facts have no place on a CV where space is already limited. Consider whether it is necessary to have your school exam grades on a CV when you also have a Postgraduate degree to your name. Including references, or phrases such as ‘references available upon request’, is also an unnecessary space-waster. If employers require references, they will ask for them. Providing names and contact details for previous managers is unnecessary, at this stage.
DON’T turn in a CV that runs for pages and pages in length. Unless your field of employment requires otherwise, an appropriate length for a CV is no more than two A4 pages. If you work in an industry where interviewers need to see evidence of past work, you may want to consider including examples in a formalised portfolio, rather than on your CV itself. CVs of excess length appear sloppy, and in some cases, can distract from the heart of the person you want to represent.
DO practice a process of editing and re-drafting. As is the case with all professional or creative ventures, the first draft is seldom the final one, and nor should it be. Get all of the relevant information down on paper first, and worry about sharpening and editing later. It is always easier to take words away during an editing process than it is to bulk a CV up after the fact.
DO take advantage of help, if it is offered. A second pair of eyes on a CV, particularly if those eyes belong to someone with years of experience applying for jobs, can make the world of difference. Third parties are far more likely to spot errors you may have overlooked in terms of spelling and grammar. In addition, this process will give you something of an insight into what impression your CV creates, from the perspective of another.
Post-Covid CV Tips
When it comes to your CV, the devil is in the detail. A skill almost universally appreciated by employers is an eye for detail, and making sure your CV is beyond reproach in terms of editing, spelling and grammar is a great way to make it clear from the outset that you are detail-oriented. Your CV should be error-free, featuring no spelling or grammar mistakes, and should flow well in terms of sentence structure.
You may also want to pay attention to consistency in your CV’s formatting. Use a professional font that is easy to read, keep your font size at 11 or 12, and make sure that you keep to the same spacing and formatting throughout. Not only does a well-formatted CV suggest you are a detail-oriented individual, it will create a positive first impression overall — one you can then successfully build upon if and when you meet your prospective employers in person. If you wouldn’t show up to an interview looking scruffy, there really is no excuse to let your CV go without due care and attention.
Tips For CV Writing
Oxbridge Content is a collective of writers and business professionals, with backgrounds in international business, copywriting, and recruitment consultancy, to name but a few. Where you may be lacking in the confidence to produce an excellent CV, that will help you stand out from the crowd in the competitive world of post-COVID jobseeking, Oxbridge Content’s expert writers are on hand to help.
We run a tailored service that is designed to fit the needs of each individual, with enough strings on our bow to help you with anything your CV-writing process is currently lacking. If you already have a draft of your CV written, and would appreciate a second pair of eyes on it, our editing service has the answers. We won’t add additional content, merely re-wording or re-arranging your CV’s content where applicable, with the ultimate aim of helping you improve your CV wherever possible. Alternatively, if you are at a loss as to where to start with CV writing, you can choose to take advantage of our bespoke CV writing service. Our writers use only content and information you have provided, ensuring that creative control ultimately remains in your hands, and that your finished CV is entirely personal, non-plagiarised, and fit for purpose.
Combining expertise from writers, and business consultants, of innumerable different backgrounds, with our tenacity to provide a groundbreaking and unique service, we have been fortunate enough to work with some of the UK’s most inspiring brands and individuals — from entrepreneurs to interested parties.
If you have the need for a strong, unique and successful CV, we’d love to hear from you! For a full breakdown of our services, and how we can help you with your post-COVID job hunt, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.