Your CV is generally your first contact with a perspective employer, so it’s important to make a great first impression. Far too often extremely talented individuals get thrown in the “No” pile due to a CV that does not properly represent their talents and qualifications. Here are some tips and guidelines to make sure your CV stays on top of the “YES!” pile, as well as some commonly made mistakes that everyone needs to avoid.

Be relevant

Select information that supports your job objective and enhances your qualifications in the employer's mind. The potential employer does not need to hear all of your qualifications since birth and does not wish to read about the fact you were President of your Math Club in grade 11. Keep it pertinent. Once you have enrolled or graduated from University, keep your accomplishments and qualifications as recent as possible. Additionally, it is advisable to tailor your CV towards the specific job you’re applying for. Delete irrelevant accomplishments or add any appropriate qualifications you may possess depending on the role.

Be consistent in layout and writing style

Far too often CVs are read that contain 4 different fonts, sizes, or even colours. Stylistic techniques such as bolding, underlining, and italicizing, should be consistent from the beginning of your CV through to the end. If you choose to boldface one job title, make sure you boldface all job titles. Additionally, having white space on your CV is not a bad thing. Your resume should be easy to read, so stick with a 10-12 point font to avoid having the employer squinting to read it.

Highlighting the important information

Be aware that information presented on the first page of your CV, as well as at the beginning of each section will be the parts that receive extra attention.

Avoid pronouns and certain phrases/verb tenses

Avoid the first person pronouns (“I”/ “me”/ “my”). Avoid phrases such as “duties included…” or “responsible for…” instead use action verbs to describe exactly what you did, “coordinated”, “edited”, “developed”, etc.

Headshots

Head shots or pictures are tricky. Generally speaking, they don't add any value, somtimes they do, often however, they detract. Your safest bet is to avoid including a headshot or photo of yourself unless you are specifically asked to include one. Photos of candidates posing in an awkward position, photos of the candidate with family/children/pets, professionally taken headshots—we’ve seen them all, and unless you’re going for a modeling job, it's an option best left alone. Leave the first impression for the interview.

Interests

An aspect of a CV that doesn’t usually seem important is the Extracurricular/interests and hobbies section. It tells the employer a lot about the potential employee. If the role you are applying for asks for someone who is outgoing and a team player, listing your favourite three hobbies of needlepoint, reading and stamp collecting suggest you are quiet and introverted.

PROOFREAD! PROOFREAD! PROOFREAD!

Saying you have excellent written and spoken communication skills or claiming you have great attention to detail is completely negated when the employer reads a CV full of poor grammar and spelling mistakes. Have a family member or friend read it over for anything you may have missed, it never hurts to have a second pair of eyes to look over this important document.