3 Reasons You Should Write a Brand-New CV

Over the last decade, the quality of CV writing has risen dramatically. The reason is the sheer amount of free information available online. There are countless CV-writing guides and tips that help anyone who wants to improve their application, and this has pushed quality to a whole new level.

As a result, employers now expect a higher standard of CV. The old way of writing a CV is no longer good enough, and getting an interview is harder than ever.

If you're worried that your CV may not be helping you the way it once did, here are 3 reasons you should write a new one today.

1. It's too generic

If your current CV is simply a list of all your skills, qualifications and experience, read on. This approach to CV writing is outdated and won't impress anyone. What will help you get a job interview is tailoring your CV to what employers are asking for.

To find out whether your CV is too generic, grab a highlighter and print a copy of your CV. After reading the job advert, you should have a good idea of the skills and experience the employer needs. Then highlight all the information that isn't relevant to the employer. Once you've marked every irrelevant part, you'll probably find more of your CV is yellow than white!

As with many CVs, you'll likely discover that most of your information won't interest the employer. Now that you're looking at a sea of yellow stripes, you can see why a generic, untailored CV won't get you an interview.

This is the perfect moment to start rewriting your CV from scratch. Keep your old CV so you still have your full professional and academic history, but create a new one that takes into account what the company you want to join is looking for.

You need to tailor your CV to the role and the company you're applying to if you want to succeed. The hiring manager wants to glance at your CV and instantly see that you're a good fit. A generic CV forces them to read between the lines, and most of the time they won't bother, because they have a thick pile of CVs in front of them.

2. You just keep updating it

If you keep the same CV and simply update it every time you change jobs, you definitely need a new one. Your tired old CV will slowly but surely keep slipping out of favour.

We've already covered tailoring your CV to the role, and doing so will prevent this problem. You don't need to keep making small updates if you always write a brand-new CV each time you apply. Even if you're applying to several employers for the same job title, you should write a new one for each, as there will always be differences, however subtle they may seem.

So stop making small tweaks and start afresh. This way you'll make sure your information is relevant and up to date, and you can also choose a fresh design for your layout. Which brings us to…

3. You haven't used a CV template

A CV template is a ready-made layout you can use to simply fill in your details. Not only will it save you a lot of time and stress, it will also look great!

Unless you're a graphic designer or have a natural talent for this kind of thing, you should always choose a ready-made CV template. Just make sure you pick a good one.

There are plenty of modern designs to choose from, and most can be downloaded for free. If you can find a recent one that looks clean and impressive, it will certainly help you land a job interview. The overall look and design of your CV are just as important as the skills you have to offer.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10445332