To be a position to produce a standout CV you first need to understand what any potential employee is looking for, and then try to mould your CV to what is required.



There are two broad areas that an employer is interested in as follows.

Area one is to do with whether you have the required specific skills for the job.

Area two is to do with whether you have the right personality for the job, i.e. are you punctual, reliable, presentable, can you work by yourself or part of a team, will you fit in, will you stay around for the foreseeable etc.

To cater for area one mentioned above, you need to understand what is the skill set required for the vacancy. You then need to present your skill set and relevant experience clearly on your CV so it is easy for the prospective employer to match his requirements with your skill set. Summarise your relevant experience and skills followed by corresponding detail. This makes it easier for the employer to shortlist your CV from the summary and they can read the detail later. Bear in mind that employers are very busy, and if you hide the relevant key points in the detail then it may be missed by the employer with a result that your CV is ignored.

To cater for area two mentioned above, again have a summary of how you have the right personality for the job. Understand that the employer does not know you and has key concerns about any prospective employee. This is your chance to let the employer know, that by choosing you they don't have to worry and that they are making the correct choice. You will obviously get ample chance at the interview to sell your case, but remember, at the moment you don't have an interview, this is about the employer picking your 3 sheets of paper out of 100's.

Bear in mind that the presentation is the most important factor on your CV. It's all about getting your point across. You may be brilliant, but the employer needs to know you are brilliant from your reading CV without having to deduce the information

To re-iterate what we have discussed, keep the following in mind.

Roughly outline all the essentials that need to be incorporated into the CV

i.e. skills, education, experience, personality traits etc, bearing in mind the key points that the employer will be looking for.

Your CV should be well organised and presented with key points being highlighted and summarised so that the employer can find what he is looking for easily. Utilise strong content to mark out your achievements instead of making general statements.

Finally ensure that your grammar is correct, you have used a font that is easy to read and you have definitely provided your contact details and all other personal details.