Your CV is the first thing a prospective employer sees about you and therefore you must ensure that it shows off all your skills and experience to ensure that you are called for an interview where you can showcase your abilities even more.

According to recruitment company Pnet, your online profile should help you to show off your best self and a good CV forms part of that profile. Pnet gives these ten steps to create a successful CV that will set you apart from other jobseekers in a highly competitive job market:

Keep it concise

As a rule of thumb, a CV should be no longer than two A4 pages. Recruiters spend only 6 to 8 seconds on average looking at a CV and they do not want to know your whole life story. They are only interested in what makes you suitable for the advertised position, the information that gets their attention enough to want to chat to you.

Therefore, keep your CV punchy and enticing. Let the recruiter know enough about you to want to know more. Remember, you can always elaborate further if you get to the interview stage.

Tailor your CV to the position you apply for

Avoid the temptation to send the same CV when applying for different jobs. Take the time to change your CV for each role that you apply for. Research the company and use the job advert to determine exactly what skills you should point out to them. They will appreciate the obvious effort.

ALSO READ: Here’s why you should never misrepresent your qualifications on your CV

Remember to include a personal statement

Do not just assume an employer will see how your experience relates to the job. Instead, use a short personal statement to explain why you think you are the best person for the job. This should be reflected in your cover letter too.

Beware of leaving gaps

Leaving obvious gaps on your CV creates an immediate red flag for employers and they will not give you the benefit of the doubt. If you were out of work for a while, put a positive spin on it by showing that you used the time off productively. Did you do a course, volunteer work or develop soft skills such as communication, teamwork or project management? If you did, mention it.

Ensure your CV is current

Keep your CV up to date whether you are looking for a job or not. Every time something significant occurs in your career or you get a new qualification, record it and update your online profile too to ensure that you do not later forget something that could be important.

Triple-check for errors

Recruiters look for mistakes on CVs and if they find them, it makes a very poor impression. If you are unsure, use a spellchecker and ask someone else to double-check your grammar and spelling before you upload your CV and submit your application.

ALSO READ: Is that gap on your CV a good thing?

Beware of stretching the truth

Be honest about your skills and experience as blatant lies on your CV can land you in a whole lot of trouble when it comes to employers checking your background and references. The last thing you want is to start work and then lose your new job because you lied on your CV. You can also be caught out at the interview stage when you suddenly cannot answer questions on what you claim to know and that can be very awkward!

Know your numbers

Backing up your achievements with numbers and measurable results makes selling yourself much easier. For example, when writing your work history, do not just say that you increased sales. Tell them you increased sales by 70% over a six-month period, but only if it is the truth!

Make it visually appealing

We live in a world where image is everything and the same goes for your CV. Take some time to make your CV look slick with sub-headings and bullet points to segment information. Keep sentences short. Use the graphic design trick of leaving plenty of white space around text and between categories to make the layout easy on the eye.

Make your CV keyword friendly

If you uploaded your CV to a job site for recruiters to find you, keywords are very important. Job titles and job buzzwords will help a search engine to pick out your CV from the pile. For example, a marketing candidate might mention SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), direct marketing and digital marketing among their experience and skills. If you are not sure which keywords to use, do a search online and see what words are commonly mentioned when you input your job title.