1. Be organised and keep it short!

You have only one CV and a few seconds to impress a potential employer.  You may be an outstanding professional, but your CV may very well fail to reflect that.  Divide your CV in sections.  Highlight your last or current position and write a few words about your duties and achievements in the role.  Most importantly, keep it short – one or two pages are more than enough.  If you have had a long career, don’t try to cram it all in.  Focus only on the past few years or on the most relevant roles.

2. Focus on your experience, not your personal life

One of the many things I love about Victvs is its global reach.  This means that we receive countless applications from all around the world, from Thailand to Peru, Russia to South Africa, we are working with people everywhere.  However,  each of these applications is usually tailored to the local professional environment where certain personal details are often required.  For us as a company based in the UK, the British Equality Act 2010*, discourages the disclosure of age, marital status, race, religion or physical appearance in job applications.  At Victvs, we strive to give everyone a chance, regardless of their personal background, therefore we strongly advise you to remove information such as marital status or beliefs from your CV.

3. Write a covering letter

Writing a covering letter may seem tedious and perhaps unnecessary.  I beg to differ.  When comparing a great CV sent with a blank email with a good CV accompanied by a covering letter, the weaker candidate with a stronger letter could easily win.  The letter shows extra effort, interest in the role and respect for the person who you are addressing.  Moreover, it gives you the chance to tell your potential employer why you are a great candidate and what you want to get from a new job.  In short, it allows you to truly shine!  As global employers, we are all looking to work with the brightest stars out there!

4. Ditch the clichés and tell us who you are

You have decided to write a cover letter, brilliant!  Contrary to popular belief, describing yourself as a “highly motivated, enthusiastic, hard-working, fast-learning individual” is not a good idea.  Buzzwords are old-fashioned and overused.  Ditch these clichés and tell us what makes you unique, in your own words.  Why do you want to work with us?  Why would we want to work with you?  Tell us your story – not everyone else’s.

5. Good spelling is not optional

As a language enthusiast / pedant, I am always incredibly disappointed when people ignore the importance of good spelling.  First, it makes your application clear and easy to read.  Second, it shows us you have put some effort into it which means bonus points for you.  Regardless of whether English is your first, second or third language, please make sure you get your spelling right – after all, we live in the era of auto-correct, so you have no excuse…  Or ask a friend to proofread your application before pressing that Send button.

6. You’ve grown up, has your email account?

Are you using the same email account you created when you were twelve?  Is your email address powerpuffgirl11@whatever.com or johnny4everyours@teen.net?  If yes, please change it.  There is nothing wrong with having a fun email address, but unless you are applying to work at Cartoon Network, keep this one private and create a professional account for job applications.

7. Manners maketh man

You would think this is obvious, yet many applicants underestimate the importance of respecting recruiters and their potential employers.  We spend hours reviewing CVs, reading cover letters and writing emails.   Be polite.   Send us a nice email with your CV.  Say please and thank you.  Reply to our emails and answer our calls.  Manners are timeless, cost nothing and are universal.   And, just like good spelling, manners are not optional.

Share your ideas!

We all benefit from sharing.  Let us know if you have any other ideas by commenting below.  Thanks for reading.

*  Equality Act 2010.  [online] Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents.