Amber Sunner took a CV Clinic in PressPad Remote season 1. Here are the takeaways from the session in honour of the clinics relaunch and the job hunting season.
About the clinics:
PressPad’s 1-1 CV Clinics includes journalism portfolio feedback, job application reviews and CV make-overs slotted into a 30-minute Zoom call. This is all free to make it as accessible as possible. You can book a spot – but be quick because it’s very popular. No slots available? Fear not. We will be releasing more slots in the coming weeks, so do check again.
Last year I participated in a PressPad CV Clinic with Laura Garcia, PressPad Co-Founder. It was an invaluable (FREE) experience! Straight after the session, I gave my CV it’s much-needed upgrade – here’s why.
Don’t make it drab:
My CV was looking a bit worse for wear to say the least. I was advised to change the layout to make it flow better, and to add some colour. These small changes made such a big difference and I could already see my CV becoming much more attractive to employers. A once plain document transformed into something with a lot more spice.
Be clever about space
Your CV shouldn’t be longer than two pages as standard. That means you’re working with very little space so make sure the things that really matter are on there. The CV is one of the first things employers judge you on – so it’s a good idea to make it pop!
Order, order, order
Jumping off the last point – Laura rightly mentioned that my work experience was in the wrong order. Make sure your most recent experience is at the top of your CV. This not only makes it easier for employers but also contributes to the flow of the document. A useful and easy tip to implement
Link it up
One of the most important takeaways I took from my CV clinic is to add links to my work. Yes – this is possible and I was shocked! If you’re making a PDF document for example in Canva (which we’ll get onto next) all you have to do is highlight the text and click the link icon! Easy as pie!
Canva is your friend
Canva is a graphic design platform, and it is great for CVs. They have great template designs and it’s super easy to customise. Make sure you double-check formatting and that you have updated ALL the content before you send it out to potential employers. A good-looking CV is great, but one with the correct information is, well, better.
If you want to attend one of our CV Clinic book a spot here
Credit: Canva Pro image collage by PressPad