​The 5 Tricks and Treats of CV Writing

​The spooky season is upon us and who else but us knows how to navigate the horrors of recruitment? In this blog, we’re looking at the Tricks and Treats to CV writing; the good and the downright ghoulish. How many of these have you fallen into the trap of?

Trick: Leave Out the Fancy Dress

You always want to stand out when making your CV, so it can be tempting to go all out when designing your resumé. You don’t have to. When we work with you, we reformat your CV to its core details, which gives everyone an equal chance before an employer. Companies often don’t want to see anything too fancy either – just the basic information will do with sensible headers. You can leave out formatting with tables, too.

There’s an exception to the rule, however. If you’re in the creative industries, we want to see you shine! Put your best foot forward and impress us with your design skills.

Treat: The Devil is in the Detail

If you’ve seen a job role you like the look of, make sure you match the job criteria by reflecting it on your CV. There might be many things you’ve done in the past that you can highlight on your application and making sure you’re fully aware of what the role entails can help prompt you to add to your resumé. Make sure you’re specific about the technical elements of your previous roles and match it perfectly to the job specification. If you can back up your CV with any figures, even better!

Trick: Pictures of Dorian Gray

Like we said with the fun formats, basic is better. You don’t need to put a photo of yourself on your CV, and they won’t make it to our clients when we reformat your CV. If you add a photo, be sure to keep it professional.

It’s worth remembering that adding a photo can work against you if you submit your application elsewhere. Unconscious bias occurs when people hold beliefs about any subset of people, whether that’s for positive or negative, and allow these thoughts to influence their decisions. Having your photo on your CV could put you at risk of unconscious bias from an employer making a decision about you based on your appearance. We work with employers to remove unconscious bias in their hiring processes and provide our clients with the most diverse shortlist possible. We can also provide redacted CVs and support our clients to ensure their recruitment practices are fair and to promote them as inclusive employers.

We’re committed to equal opportunity and diversity and encourage people from all backgrounds to apply to our open roles. We’re also a Disability Confident employer and have pledged to Zero Racism Wales as part of our mission to make recruitment as inclusive and accessible as possible.

Treat: Creep It Real

Don’t lie on your CV to make it sound good – you never know when you’ll be caught out. Don't say you can speak Italian or play the trombone as guaranteed there's a trombone in the office waiting for you to perform. You might just get asked about these things in an interview and lying about things automatically shows a lack of integrity which never puts you in a good light.

Trick: Frightful Flaws

You might have the best experience for the job, but the make and break can be the small things. Before submitting your CV, make sure you double-check for spelling mistakes, wrong contact details, or email addresses that look unprofessional, especially if you’re updating your CV for the first time in a while. You never know what might put someone off – and you never want to let all your hard work go to waste for something minor!

Got your CV ready? Find your next role here or get in touch with our consultants to review your CV. We’d love to work together to find you your next job.