Are you applying for one of Beam’s career-worthy part-time roles? Brill!
At Beam, we see a lot of CVs. And sometimes we see doozies. Think 6 pages of dense text with no sense of the most important information. The thing is, a poor CV isn’t necessarily an indication of the candidate’s quality — but it does make it MUCH harder for a prospective employer to see that.
Here are some of the tips we give Beamers to make sure that their resume is a real asset. After all, your CV is a marketing tool and the product is you.
How to get started
Put a plant next to your laptop
Kidding! But definitely set yourself up with a drink, a clear space and some uninterrupted time.
A little help from LinkedIn and friends
If it’s been a while since you’ve updated your resume, sometimes it’s easier to update LinkedIn first — the format is a really helpful prompt to gather key information. It also helps you stay focussed on what’s important. Simply copy and paste once you’re done — then build it out with more detail.
If you have colleagues or friends who are amazing at applying for jobs and getting hired, ask to see their CVs.
Aesthetics are over-rated
Don’t worry too much about making it crazy-beautiful (unless that’s relevant to the role you’re applying for). Just make sure it’s professional, neat and a delight to read.
You don’t need to start from scratch. Use a template — Google Docs is a good source of free, easy-to-use resume templates. Canva is too (if you want to get a bit fancier). Stick to a neat format that is easy to read and comes across as professional. And make sure it’s a cinch to edit and update too.
Writing the best CV for the job
Show an employer what’s important
Think of it your CV like a newspaper article — would you leave the juiciest details until the end? Or make the article so long it was difficult to work out what was important and what wasn’t?
So don’t bury the lede. Put your major achievements and skills up the top where they can’t be missed. And keep your CV as tight as possible — it projects confidence. If you have 4 or more pages, you might have too many (in fact you really probably do!)
Get the order right
List your career from your most recent role backwards. In most cases, more detail should be given to your most recent roles.
Tailor your CV to the role
You knew we’d say this, but it’s true!
You may need to tailor your resume for specific roles to highlight your skills in the areas listed in the job ad. In fact, don’t be afraid to weave in some of the key requirements directly from the posting. This makes it super easy for an employer to see you’re a fit for the role.
Things to include
Things to leave out