In a highly competitive graduate market, you have to think of your CV as one of your personal marketing tools. It’s just like marketing a product or service; you have to make the product stand out from the crowd. Many graduate roles will receive well in excess of one hundred applications. So with this in mind you will need to make a point of difference.
As a business graduate it is up to you to get creative with your CV and effectively "market" yourself. We do not want to tell you how to write and structure your CV - that’s your job, but below are some helpful tips to help you include the right stuff.
- Your CV should cover the following areas: Contact details, a capability/competency statement, chronological career summary, key achievements, key competencies and strengths, and your qualifications.
- Give enough information for the reader to understand your background and achievements - they don’t want a novel - it needs to be succinct and relevant.
- Make the CV "outcome focused" with qualitative and quantitative achievements documented.
- Work in reverse chronological order when presenting career history.
- A well structured CV allows the decision maker to gain insight into you as a person and your strengths, at a glance.
- Use adjectives and verbs to create energy in your CV.
- Photos are generally not the way to go when pitching for jobs in Australasia.
Remember that your CV is one of your personal marketing tools - make it stand out from the crowd.
