• Home
  • Choose a career
    • No idea what to do?
    • Career path guides
    • Top graduate employers
    • Further study
  • Apply for internships
    • Find an internship
    • Top graduate employers
    • Career Calendar
    • Internship Experience UK
  • Apply for jobs
    • Find a job
    • Top graduate employers
    • Career Calendar
    • Immediate start jobs
  • Career advice
    • No idea what to do?
    • CV advice
    • Aptitude & numerical tests
    • Interviews
    • Assessment centres
    • Commercial awareness
    • Core career skills
    • Entering the world of work
    • Graduate Careers Guide 2020/21
  • Academy learning
    • Free courses
    • Free psychometric tests
  • Events
    • Bright Network events
    • Virtual University Series
    • Society of the year awards
    • Employer events
    • Previous event highlights
  • Success stories
    • Member success stories
  • About us
  • For employers
Home
  • Login
  • |
  • Signup
  • About us
  • For employers
  • Choose a career
    No idea what to do? Career path guides Top graduate employers Further study
  • Apply for internships
    Find an internship Top graduate employers Career Calendar Internship Experience UK
  • Apply for jobs
    Find a job Top graduate employers Career Calendar Immediate start jobs
  • Career advice
    No idea what to do? CV advice Aptitude & numerical tests Interviews Assessment centres Commercial awareness Core career skills Entering the world of work Graduate Careers Guide 2020/21
  • Academy learning
    Free courses Free psychometric tests
  • Events
    Bright Network events Virtual University Series Society of the year awards Employer events Previous event highlights
  • Success stories
    Member success stories

Five ways to make your CV stand out

Your CV is one of the most important parts of your job hunt. It will shape an employer's first impression of you and will often dictate if you make it through the initial round of the application process. Ensure you don't fall at the first hurdle with our five tips to make your CV stand out.

Typewriter writing about ways to make your CV stand out

1. Keep it short & sweet

Your CV shouldn't be more than a page at this point in your career. Question whether all the information you've included is relevant - does an employer need to know you once babysat your aunt's puppy?

You can always cover additional points in your cover letter and if you make it to interview, that's the time to flesh out your experience. Your CV is a snapshot of you and your career and a springboard for future discussion.

2. Make it easy on the eye

Your CV needs to be an effortless read. Keep it uncluttered with clear sections and titles, using bullet points to break up long paragraphs. Bite-sized chunks are much easier to navigate than a long piece of narrative.

Although it needs to be eye-catching, your CV isn't the place to experiment with exotic typefaces and colours. Simple fonts such as Arial or Verdana in black are most legible.

Learn how to write a one page CV.

3. Triple check for spelling mistakes

Graduate recruiters are inundated with CVs and spelling mistakes are a quick way to sort the wheat from the chaff. Even small grammatical errors suggest you have poor attention to detail and could put you out of the running - make sure they're banished from your CV.

Ask friends and family to review your CV - a fresh pair of eyes will be more effective at spotting the mistakes you've been staring at for days.

Read how to build your CV while at university. 

4. Focus on results

Employers want to know the impact of your actions, they don't just want to see a list of the tasks on your CV. Highlight your specific involvement in activities and how you made a difference - don't be shy about emphasising areas you excelled in.

Ensure your experience stands out - statistics are incredibly powerful and give a real sense of the impact you made.

5. Include LinkedIn

Pop a link to your LinkedIn profile on the soft copy of your CV. Employers can then see your recommendations, your group activity and any content you've created or shared.

Just make sure your online profile is up to date and in line with your CV - many graduate recruiters will look you up on LinkedIn and discrepancies between the two will look suspicious.

Read 10 things to consider when writing your CV.

Apply for graduate schemes today

Now you know how to make your CV stand out, use our handy application deadline list to applying for graduate schemes today.

Browse graduate schemes

 

←
Prev:
10 things to consider when writing your CV
→
Next:
How to write a one page CV

Related content

  • 10 things to consider when writing your CV
  • How to write a one page CV
  • Bright Network's CV template
    Members only
  • 5 things to help you build your CV while at university
Careers - work for us Get in touch Terms and Conditions Community guidelines Privacy Policy
Bright Network © 2021