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5 Top Tips for Reviewing Your CV

By Nisa Chitakasem, Founder of Position Ignition, the UK’s leading Career Consulting Company and co-author of their How to Get the Job You Want eBook.

So you’ve completed your CV and you’re ready to send it off as part of your application to that job vacancy you’ve got your eye on. But wait…before you print it off or attach it to an email, be sure to review your CV. You want to make sure there are no glaring mistakes or nothing vital you’ve accidentally missed out before you let a recruiter or potential employer see it. Here are some tips for successfully reviewing your CV.

1. Be objective. Although you may be extremely pleased with your efforts and believe that you have produced the best CV possible, it’s important to re-read it with an open mind. If you were a recruitment agent or HR director, what would you honestly think of this CV? Consider whether you’re happy with how you’ve portrayed yourself—remember, the eventual readers of the CV most probably haven’t met you before. This is their ‘first impression’ of you, as it were.
2. Double check the spellchecker’s suggestions. You already know it’s absolutely vital that you use spellchecker on your finished CV to correct any spelling and grammar errors, but don’t just automatically accept all the suggested changes without properly looking at them. Spellcheckers occasionally scan a particular spelling mistake and suggest a word that has an entirely different meaning to the one you originally intended. Be sure to select the right suggested corrections to avoid embarrassing misunderstandings.
3. Proofread manually too. Another issue with spellcheck is that it doesn’t always detect all mistakes, whether these be spelling, grammar or syntax errors. Even after you’ve put your CV through spellcheck, it’s worthwhile reading the document yet again to make sure that all typos really have been eliminated.
4. Take into account the layout of your CV. Content is not the only thing that’s important here—the format and design of a CV can also influence its reader for better or for worse. When you’re looking over your CV, be sure that there isn’t too much ‘white space’. However, the text shouldn’t be too small or crammed in either. As a rule the font size used should be 12 and each section should be separated from the previous one with a double line break.
5. Get someone in the know to ‘beta-read’ for you. No matter how many times you yourself review your CV, it’s always worth getting a second opinion before sending it off, if possible. As opposed to getting an immediate family member or close friend to review it for you, look for someone able to give an opinion characterised by both objectivity and expertise. Perhaps you know someone in the recruitment business or HR sector who’d be willing to act as your ‘beta-reader’. Alternatively, if you’ve been working with a career guide or coach as part of your job search strategy, they may well offer a CV reviewing service.

About the Author:

Nisa Chitakasem co-founded Position Ignition.com to provide career consulting to people looking for guidance and support through their career change, new career direction, job search and career development.

 

Working in hospitality and catering

Hospitality is a widely used term that includes roles in hotels, cruise ships, airlines, restaurants, leisure centres and conference facilities. If you’re customer focused, the possibilities are endless if you can work well in a team, manage pressure and think on your feet.

Within hospitality and catering, there are four core areas that you could decide to pursue in opportunities in. These are:

Food and Beverage:

• Service: This is one of the most popular jobs for students and temps and those looking to get started in the sector the opportunity for growth up to a managerial level and. It includes roles such as waiting staff, bartenders and runners and is centred around the service of food and beverage – in a restaurant, café, in-flight, on board a cruise ship or at mega events. Other functions within this area are bookings, room service (in hotels) and events support.

• Production: For those inspired by MasterChef, this is the real thing. While it can be stressful cooking under pressure, it provides an opportunity to be creative and do what you enjoy for a living. Entry level roles include commis or kitchen assistant but you could then choose to specialise in a particular cuisine, pastry or confectionary. In terms of where you could work, the range of options include: hotels, cafes, restaurants, bakeries, in-flight and cruise liner kitchens.

Accommodation:

• Front Office: This includes front of house/reception roles where customer service is an integral part of the job. It involves taking or making bookings, assisting with directions, passing information and cashiering.

• House Keeping: Cleaning, bed making and laundry tasks all form part of the housekeeping department.

To get hands on experience as a waiter, receptionist, cashier, hostess, commis or house keeping attendant, previous experience may not always be required.