As one of the absolute most essential aspects of your professional career, your CV will put your foot through the door when you’re not there to do the selling. It is concrete proof of all your achievements and results you’ve accrued ever since your fledgling days as an up-and-coming employee. Not only that, but it also highlights the key experiences and education that set you apart from the competition.
With that in mind, it would behoove you and me both to think long and hard on how best we could present this critical document to potential employers. After all, if you want a shot at really wowing people at the top, you’d better put some effort into doing so. And, assuming you already have the final product at hand, proofreading proves to be the most optimal way to indicate that effort.
Chances are you won’t be hiring someone anytime soon, so your next best option is to use your imagination. Bear in mind that as you read your CV, you do not want to get lost in the illusion of thinking it can be viewed solely from your perspective. Granted, we do this mostly unconsciously, but it’s incredible how easy it is to gloss over a critical error when you’re seeing it for the umpteenth time!
The next time you’re reviewing your CV (ideally once you’ve finished reading), treat it as though you were the employer; you’re jaded with dozens of applications, most of which are saying the same thing but in different ways, and you’re hoping to God the next CV you lay your eyes upon will be your excuse for discontinuing the prospecting process. Ask yourself the following:
And if nothing comes up, just add “would” to these questions and adjust accordingly.
Here’s a (general) rule of thumb: If you’re considering removing something, that’s your one and only sign that it has no place on your CV. All jobs involve a multitude of tasks and responsibilities, but that shouldn’t mean for you to include every single one in your CV. Always err on the side of brevity.
Oh, and here’s a pretty powerful tip: Instead of using boring bullet points to explain your duties in previous jobs, describe only your most important ones as accomplishments, and then explain how said accomplishments benefited your company. This is what’s also known as the STAR method. Use it.
Ever get inkling (ha!) that we read things differently in print than on-screen? I do, too. So, you better get that document in your two hands so you can have a more objective view of what’s going on.
Doing this will help you judge how readable the whole thing is more accurately; font size, typeface, line spacing, etc. all tend to make plain their effects when they’re out in the real world, whereas their visual effects tend to get lost in the digital matrix that is your screen.
Pro tip: Use sans-serif fonts like Verdana, Arial, and Helvetica. Eschew every block of text (which is a breeding ground for snoozefests), and use bullet points if you must. Then go through the printed version and do it again.
This is a common technique to catch any awkward-sounding phrases, run-on sentences, grammatical errors, and the like. As I said, we tend to gloss over such mistakes because our brain likes to conserve energy by not paying attention to every little detail – even with something as important as your CV.
So, this is where discipline comes in, and you force yourself to pay extreme attention to every misplaced comma, every inappropriate adjective, and every flowery sentence and slay them where they stand. If you find yourself pausing to reread a sentence, there’s probably an issue with grammar or syntax. And trust me, that’s the last thing you want your hiring manager to see.
Always remember: jaded employers will bolt at the first sign of unprofessionalism.
Have a friend go over it. You never know, you might run into those moments where they are able to catch what you and your computer couldn’t. Plus, it’s a lot easier for someone who’s seeing the document for the first time to catch these mistakes. Why? Because they don’t know what it’s saying, their brain is not expecting to find something, especially something that isn’t there (recall my comment about subconsciously glossing over mistakes).
Do your best, but don’t sweat it
At the end of the day, we’re only human. No matter how hard we try, it’s plausible that we will miss something that’s right there under our noses. And you know what? That’s fine. People can be understanding, even those cranky hiring managers who are tired of scrolling through God knows how many me-too CVs.
That is, provided the bigger picture is impeccable, and the rest of it is faultless. Have I repeated myself there? Gee, so much for talking about errors! Speaking of which, if you’re still on the lookout for that perfect CV recipe, feel free to raid our kitchen.
