When applying for a new employment opportunity, you need to promote your specific skill set or talents to your possible future employer. The best way to do that, and get your chance at a prospective interview, is by presenting your Curriculum Vitae (CV) or resume during the application process.

The very first impression you will leave on the recruiter is your CV, which is why having a professional looking, modern and concise resume is all important. While you can find many basic templates for creating a CV online, making your CV standout will require a healthy balance between creativity and professionalism.

Firstly, keep it short and sweet, with as few pages as possible. The recruiter is not going to want to read a mini novella to find out whether you have the necessary skill set for the position available.

It is best to create a digital copy of your CV, so that you can adapt it to be relevant to each position that you are applying for. For instance, it will not be necessary to list all your detailed qualifications in the security industry, when applying for sales position.

An organized CV, with sections setting out a brief biography of yourself, your competencies, job experience and references, will be made easier to read if you make clever use of titles, paragraphs and columns. Include your experience as relevant to the position being applied for, and ensure that you do a spelling and grammar check before submitting your CV. If the position requires the applicant to be able to pay attention to detail, an incorrectly aligned paragraph, or basic grammar mistakes will have the recruiter disregard your CV completely.

Lastly, it is vital to ensure that your contact information on your CV is current and that any qualifications and references are truthful as it is likely that the recruiter may follow up with previous employers.

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