CV Advice

At sjb medical we pride ourselves on making it easy for individuals to secure their next career step and for employers to find their ideal future talent. Crucial to the recruitment process is a well thought out and documented CV, which is ever more important in a competitive job market. sjb medical understands the needs of prospective employers at this first stage of selection. When a hiring manager might spend less than a minute looking at your CV the stakes are high. Not only is this a short time to make an impact but if spelling, grammar or chronology is wrong the CV in most cases will be discarded.

To ensure that your CV sells you and has impact we have put together the following general tips for creating a new impactful CV:

Layout    

Keep your CV to a maximum of three pages, choose a font which is easy to read. Centre your name and contact details at the top. Use the format as below.

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• A Profile section at the beginning, no longer than two paragraphs which gives an overview of your professional accomplishments    
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• Skills comes next, highlighting the skills you have, in list form, this allows a hiring manager to quickly ascertain your abilities.
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• A Career History should then focus strongly on the last three positions you have held, dates should be in order starting with the most recent. Explain in two or three paragraphs your achievements, how you achieved them and the outcome of your achievements. If you have gaps in your working history explain them, i.e. 2001-2002 travelling or full-time Carer etc.
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• Education and Qualifications. State clearly schools and colleges attended and levels attained. Do not list every training course you have ever attended, pick out those that highlight your skills    

Spelling

Ensure that your CV is spell checked and is grammatically correct. This is more important than you may think and gives a prospective employer the first indication of your diligence and professionalism.

Email address    

A professional looking and sounding email address reflects well on you, whereas as a slightly 'wacky' or risqué address will give the wrong impression to prospective employers.    

Activities and Personal Information

Unless you are applying directly from a place of learning, activities are usually irrelevant as to whether you will be accepted for a role and in many cases, can put prospective employers off candidates.

The vogue for starting a CV with a potted life history has well and truly passed. Your CV is your professional calling card and should reflect your career and contribution to a future organisation.