Writing a CV to get you noticed!

Your CV is the first weapon in your arsenal to selling yourself successfully in order to obtain that all important job interview. Without an accurate, up to date and interesting CV you could get overlooked. All employers and recruitment consultancies will form an opinion of you within the first few lines of your CV, so make them good ones!

So how do we suggest you format your CV?

1. Start with a Personal Profile

  • Make it interesting
  • Make it eye catching
  • Make it relevant!!

If you're applying for a job in Sales, make sure you tailor your profile to say why you're applying for that role.

  • What makes you stand out as a Sales Person above the other candidates we receive?
  • What extra attributes can you bring to a team?
  • What makes you a good Sales Person?

Leave out things like "I can work effectively as part of a team, or on my own initiative" - Yawn! Everyone writes this. Leave it off and make yourself different!

and...for goodness sake, remove the line "I am now seeking a role in the construction industry...." etc. Why are you applying for a Sales role if your profile states this?!

2. Your Career Experience

  • List at least your last 5 job roles if you can/if applicable - with dates - start from your most recent at the top of your CV under your Personal Profile.
  • Include a detailed description of what you did within those roles.
  • If you worked in Sales, include your figures. Be proud! Show them off! If you worked in Service, how many customers did you see in throughout a day? How many Tech's did you serve? Sales Admin, how many cars were you registering? If you were a Manager, how many staff were you looking after? How did you increase department profitability?......you get the picture.
  • What are/were your biggest achievements in your roles?

3. Education

List any qualifications you gained whist at School, College or University

4. Training

List here any training you have received either through employment or off your own back.

Make sure you include:

  • Dates - make sure the most recent is at the top
  • Location - where did the training take place?
  • Qualification level

It's also a good idea if you work in the Aftersales/Repair sector of the Motor Industry to include things such as an ATA or IMI qualification and whether it's still current or if you're looking to renew it under this section. We have client's that ask for these qualifications and if you don't list them we may over look you.

5. Key Skills

List your top 5 Key Skills.

  • What makes you stand out from the crowd?
  • What is going to make our client's pick you above 20 others for interview?

6. Hobbies and Interests

We're all unique, we all have our own hobbies and interests outside of work that form part of who we are, so be proud and tell the World about them. It makes you more personable.

7. Most importantly - maybe I should put this at the top, but I'm hoping it goes without saying.....

Make sure your contact details are up to date! We're not psychic after all ;-)

Happy writing and good luck!