Another pair of eyes checking your CV is essential. If you want to ensure it is not only free of mistakes but is also of the highest quality, ask a professional to review your CV.
There are too many things to go wrong for just one person to take all the responsibility. Just the one small mistake which is missed could mean an instant rejection.
Hiring managers are inundated with hundreds of applications and don’t have time for mistakes, no matter how big or small. Whether it’s formatting, structure, spelling and grammar – everything needs to be perfect.
Here are a few tips to help show you the way…
Find a professional/manager
So who should you get to check over your CV? Should I look online for a professional service? There are lots of services online that offer what you are looking for. However, they can sometimes be expensive and not always guaranteed to be the best way of having your CV checked.
Our recommendation would be to find a professional or manager that you can speak with one to one to get this all important valuable feedback. This would be someone who has extensive experience in reading CV’s during a hiring process, as well as a manager who works or has worked in the same role/industry as you are applying for.
Again, if you are able to contact them personally, this would be a much better idea. Feedback online or via email is still great, but having a one to one chat with an expert is even better!
Here’s what you should asked to be checked
Your chosen proofreader should check absolutely everything to ensure nothing is missed. Here is the list of things they could check for you:
- Spelling/grammar
- Choice of CV template – presentation
- Structure/layout
- Page length
- Paragraph length
- Font style and size
- Quality of information
- Focus – any irrelevant information?
This list is certainly expandable, so don’t take it as gospel. These are just a few of the main core items which should be reviewed by your chosen proofreader. If you can think of anything else, please do add onto our list.
Always listen
If you are really happy with the person you have chosen, then it would be foolish to ignore their advice. However, it is your CV after all and the final decision is always yours and yours alone.
You may decide to ignore feedback that is given in relation to the overall presentation of your CV. For instance, the font style, the layout, the order of the sections, and so on. But in regards to the quality of your CV and the feedback you’ve been given, you really should listen to the advice and implement the changes.
Check and triple check
Ask your proofreader if they are happy to re-check your CV once you’ve made the advised changes. There could still be errors that you’ve missed, or possibly something you’ve not added that was advised. Creating a CV is an extremely complex and difficult task, and not something that should be rushed.
Don’t be afraid to go back and have your CV checked a few times after each change just to make sure you have met the advice given by the professional.
Finally, is this an ethical thing to do? Should you write your CV with little help, or is this a form of cheating?
We believe that as long as you write your CV from scratch, you are doing nothing wrong. By having your CV reviewed by a professional, you are being very smart. There is nothing wrong with ensuring your credentials are shown in the best possible light.
If however you are still worried about the outcome, here’s a great article to read – Should you pay someone to write your CV?