Right squad, I've read through a LOT of CVs and job applications over the last year for a variety of different jobs so here's a thread of some basic DO's and DO NOT's for those of you on the hunt.

Write a cover letter. Right now I'd say around 80% of applications don't have one and they go straight to the bottom of the pile, whereas a good cover letter makes up for not having the best experience.

A good cover letter should show you've researched the company (try to quote something of them in the news, something about their directors or something from their website) and should say WHY you want to work there. Don't just say your CV.

Please read the job spec and edit your CV to hit the points. I am scanning your CV to see the key skills and abilities that we're saying we're looking for. If you're just saying generally related skills I'm likely going to miss it.

EG: If I say we're looking for someone with management skills tell me how many people you managed and in what capacity. You really need to look at your experience; treat the reader like an idiot and tell them exactly what you've done.

Also, if it's appropriate give stats. What sounds better? "Managed online sales" or "increased online sales 50% in a 6 month period." It just adds a lot of credibility. I'll be back l8r with more x

The biggest thing you need to think about when writing your CV is "WHY am I including this information?"

Does it show the employer that you can do this job, or is it waffle?

I've had a lot of CVs that are people listing really incredible achievements, but unfortunately they aren't relevant to the job. An achievement or two to show who you are is important but if 50% of your CV isn't relevant to the job that isn't a good sign.

This is a weird one but talk like a human being. A lot of applicant seem to get into this really weird almost pseudo-academic tone of voice when they apply for jobs. Most companies don't want that.

GOD I can't believe I didn't start with this. DO NOT, under ANY circumstances, say something like "I'm aware I have no relevant experience" or "I know none of my work history is appropriate." Wtf? You've immediately said you're not relevant.

If you're jumping fields or making a big change obviously you need to reference it, but the way to do it is by saying "My reason for applying is..." "I am looking to develop my skills..." "My time in X industry is an advantage because..." Always be positive

This is subjective again but I’m not a fan of people using bar graphs to show their skills. The issue is you either have to say you’re perfect at everything or you’re saying “I’m not good at these things.” To me it’s wasted space

Don’t use your student email address. Nothing wrong with being a student but you’re immediately reminding the reader of how inexperienced they were when they were a student; you’re undermining yourself. Just make an outlook.

It’s important to show your personality. At the end of the day these people have to *want* to work with you and if you come across as total corporate machine they aren’t going to be interested

This is a personal preference but I would say the order of your CV should be Personal Statement (paragraph about yourself and who you are), Working History (jobs and experience), and Education last.

I'm also a big fan of having a colourful bar on the side of your CV to showcase other things that are important; but if you do this, make sure you use the space. I've seen CVs that have a bar and then leave it 50% empty and it looks rotten.

Things you can include in a bar: your education, any hobbies / interests, awards, any portfolio work that's relevant (such as blogs or news articles), and tbh anything you'd like to mention that you can't fit in elsewhere.

Order your jobs as such; your most recent job first, your older job last. Not rocket science but it's really hard to follow and to see your progression when it's not in that order.

For your actual work experience, I tend to format like this:

COMPANY - Job Title + any promotions - start date-end date

(one or two short sentences explaining what the company does and what your main role was)

~ Please
~ Bullet
~ Point
~ Experience

So for example in my first job:

Mindstretchers - Marketing Graduate -> Marketing Officer June 2016 - May 2018
Education consultancy delivering training to schools to get kids outdoors. I was brought on to help expand the company into China, Australia & Dubai.

~ Blah

It just really helps to contextualise what you were doing. Most people won't have heard of your company and if you have a niche job title it can be hard to tell what you did at a glance without this. Again, this is subjective.

And here: please don't mention Microsoft Office as a skill.

She speaks the truth, god speed

This has blown up so I’ll add a few more. The best applications are the ones that are SPECIFIC to the job and show you know the company.

Again what sounds better? “This would be a great opportunity to improve my skills”
“I know that company X has chosen charity Y as their charity of the year. This really resonates with me because XYZ and is a huge selling point for me.”

This is an interview tip, but it you ever get asked “what is one of your biggest weaknesses” don’t do that “actually talk about a strength” BS. Talk about a real weakness and what you’ve done to overcome it. Ie practice public speaking or took online courses.

Companies know you aren’t perfect and aren’t going to buy “oh well I’m just TOO punctual.”

Also if you have any specific questions @ me

Yes, you need to mention all of your work experience. No, you don’t need to say much about it. If you worked there 8 years ago / it isn’t relevant you can just say the company, job title and dates worked there. Easy way to cut down on space!

I somehow didn’t say this specifically earlier; you should be trying to show all of the points in a job spec in your CV. THIS is why you need to edit your CV for each job

If a job says you’ll be
~ Speaking to customers
~ Managing online ordering systems
~ Dealing with customer complaints

Then you need to tailor your work experience as much as you possibly can to show that skill or something similar

If you’re like me and have the memory of a sieve, around once a month I try to write down any notable tasks at work with stats that I’d bring up in a job application. Cheat sheet

This has blown up enough that I’d now like to add CVs and cover letters are subjective and change field to field. My own background is marketing, hospitality, education (early years - high school) and very brief accountancy. Hope some of these tips are relevant to you

FINAL TIP: someone once said to me that another person should be able to tell what kind of job you’re applying for by reading your CV and not seeing the job spec. Served me well!

If you came to tweet at me "WELL IN MY INDUSTRY" then my response is. yes.

Lindsey told me I need to plug my tiktok so follow me http://www.tiktok.com/@stevishere 

I’m getting a lot of DMs about what you should do if you’re applying for your first job. Some others may have better answers than me but:

~ You need to focus it on WHY you want this job (yes I want it for money too but you need to say other things)
(cont)

~ Focus on your personality traits and what you’d bring to the job
~ Do you have any hobbies? Are you a member of any clubs or sports? Do you blog? Talk about them
~ Maybe limit your CV to 1 page if you’re struggling

~ Employers will be (for the most part) be sympathetic - if you get rejections always ask for feedback
~ If you can, ask your school, college or uni career advice for help and advice

Also getting this a lot: 2 pages max for your CV. 1 page is also fine, but don't worry about stretching to 2. I really wouldn't go over 2 though some people get tetchy AF with that stuff