Whether you're applying for a permanent or a temporary job, through a recruitment agency in London or further afield, or looking independently - it’s essential to have a great CV. Your CV is a potential employer’s first glimpse into you as a candidate, and particularly in a busy city like London, it's important to stand out if you want to be successful when it comes to recruitment. As a leading London PA and secretarial recruitment agency, our expert recruiters have some top tips to make sure your CV is as good as it can be – helping you to land your next office, admin, executive assistant, or PA job.
Include a short personal statement
Include a short paragraph (no more than 100 words) spelling out why you make an excellent candidate for the position. It helps to link your previous experience, skill sets, or personality traits to the job description.
Make it personal
When you’re searching for a job, it can be tempting to send out an identical CV for every position you apply for. Instead, you should try to tailor your CV (and especially your personal statement) to each individual company. Recruitment agencies can often help if you’re unsure of the best way to do this.
Check for typos
In a large city like London, recruitment agencies and in-house recruitment departments can look at extremely high volumes of CVs for every job – whether it is an admin, marketing, PA, or any other position. Typos and obvious mistakes are one way for your potential employer to quickly dismiss you as a candidate – so don’t make it easy for them.
Keep your CV up to date
Even if you’re happy in your current job, you should keep your CV up to date with your latest achievements and qualifications. Keeping track of anything significant makes it much easier when you do start to look for a new job – and you’ll have less chance of forgetting something important.
Size isn’t everything
Your CV should be no more than two sides of A4. You may have plenty to say, but employers spend an average of 8 seconds looking at each CV. So it pays to keep it punchy and to the point - rather than telling your complete life story.
Don’t stretch the truth
It may be tempting to lie or stretch the truth on your CV, but it rarely ever pays off. They can land you in trouble (or at least leave you embarrassed) if you can’t answer a question in your interview or you struggle on your first day because you’ve exaggerated your skills.
Mind the gap!
Potential employers may be suspicious of large or frequent gaps in your CV. If at all possible, you should explain what you were up to (and perhaps why this has improved your overall skills as a person). For example, did you volunteer? Complete a course? Or develop skills such as communication or organisation through any other types of activity?
We hope these tips will help you to brush up your CV and land your next office job. If you’d like more help, get in touch with the friendly experts at Love Success, London’s most reliable recruitment agency.
Love Success is a leading PA and secretarial recruitment agency in London.
Our recruiters can help you find top PA jobs in London, secretarial jobs, and office support jobs.
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