What do employers look for in a CV/resume? Top tips to stand out –
What we're covering..
Introduction 👋
When it comes to CVs/resumes, you’ve got about 30 seconds to make an impression. ⌚
This means that in 30 seconds you want to show straight away that you are exactly what an employer is looking for. ✨
But what do employers look for in a CV? 🤷♀️
Did you know that there are 3 qualities that pretty much all employers look for when they hire people? 👀
A study by CBI researched employers and what they look for when they hire people, which led to them finding out the top 3 qualities that employers look for.
Here are the top 3 qualities employers want from you, and how to show them in a CV/resume! 🌟
1. A great attitude ☀️
So this is it – the number one thing that employers look for, is a great attitude!
This is the most important thing that employers look for, meaning that:
- the most important thing employers look for, won’t cost you any money to get! 💸
- if you have a great attitude, you might not need anything else to get a job 🤷♀️
- someone could hire you based on your attitude, even if you’ve got no qualifications, skills, or experience 🎉
How to show a great attitude on your CV ✨
- Use positive language and share accomplishments🌟 How to stay positive ☀️
- Indicate where you’ve been adaptable 🏄♀️ How to be more adaptable 🌊
- Spell check your work – spelling/grammar mistakes can make it look like you don’t care 🔡
- Make it easy to read – it shows that you’ve been considerate of others 👀
- Use a sensible email address with your name in it! e.g. hot-dogs-are-great@gmail.com wouldn’t be taken seriously 🌭
- Don’t waffle too much – it shows that you respect their time ⌚
- Use the job description/job advert to help write your CV – if you use similar words to the job description it shows you’ve taken the time and care to listen to what they’re looking for 👂
- Put your most recent work experience, qualifications etc. first when you list them (so they don’t have to read about your whole career history to find out what you’re up to now!) 🔝
- Keep simple colours and fonts to make it easy to read 🎨
- Create small bits of space around text so it’s easy to read 🧐
- Keep it less than 5 pages, ideally around 2! 📄
- Ideally save the document as a .pdf to look professional ✨
- Use your name + “CV” for the file name e.g. LauraAbrahamCV.pdf 👍 – Makes it easier for them to find and remember what the document is for.
- Use modern fonts like Calibri, Helvetica, or Verdana ✍️ – it shows you care about presentation!
- Use bold text to make lines easier to read 👀
- Be honest on your CV 😇
2. Work skills/experience 💼
The second most important things employers look for is work skills or experience.
This means that ideally they want you to:
- Be able to do the stuff in the job description 👷♀️
- Have experience doing the job before 📆
- Understand/have experience with social expectations at work 🙋♀️ 7 social expectations at work (that nobody warns you about!)💼
- Have lots of experience at jobs 📃
- Know how to get on with a manager 👩💼How to manage your manager: 10 tips to survive a difficult manager 🧑💼
- Have skills that will be helpful for the employer 🛠️ What am I good at? 25 valuable skills 🤩
How to show work skills/experience on your CV 👩💼
- Put skills at the top of your CV to demonstrate straight away what skills you’ve got 🔝
- Tailor your skills section to fit what they’re looking for on the job description🪡
- Use your knowledge/skills section to demonstrate how you fit the job description 🧩
- Add “knowledge” into the CV, to fill gaps where you might be missing experience 🧠
- Get as much work experience as possible 👩💼 How to write a letter for work experience (with template!) ✉️
- Put your accomplishments in your skills section – with numbers! Using numbers can make your achievements sound more impressive and memorable. 🔢
- Talk about your impact/results – it shows that you’ve demonstrated skills! 🛠️
- Try to build up experience in lots of different places, relevant to the career you want 💼
- Help your community/do charity work and add it to your CV, it shows that you’ve got a great attitude, plus you’ve got experience! 💖 How community work can boost your career 💼 104 ideas to help your community 🌎
3. Qualifications 🎓
The third most important thing that employers look for is qualifications. 🏆
Getting qualifications shows employers that you:
- can read and write 📖
- work hard 🏋️♀️
- can cope under pressure (from exams, deadlines) 😬
- are able to learn from others 👩🏫
- are committed working in that job role, by taking the effort to get a relevant qualification 🔒
How to show qualifications/experience 🏅
- Find free online courses relevant to the jobs you’re interested in and add them to your CV💻
- List your highest/most relevant qualifications first, and consider mentioning them near the top of your CV 🔝
- Research qualifications and training that relate to the job you want 🕵️♀️
- If it takes up too much space, sometimes you only need to summarize your qualifications e.g. “8 grades achieved between A and C”
Conclusion 👍
So that’s it!
The top 3 things employers look for in a CV are:
- A great attitude ☀️
- Work skills/experience 💼
- Qualifications 🎓
In the study by CBI, when employers were asked to select the top three factors they consider when recruiting graduates:
- eight in ten (82%) chose attitudes and aptitude for work
- six in ten (58%) chose relevant work experience/industrial placement
- almost half (45%) picked studying a degree subject relevant to the job
If you know any friends or family members who might benefit from learning about the top 3 qualities employers look for, share this post with them!
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