As a Vet Recruitment Agency, we’re used to looking through CVs on a daily basis and have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. Your CV is the initial contact, although indirect, that you will have with your potential future employer, so it’s vital that you make a good first impression. Make sure you stand out, be impressive, and most of all, ensure your CV doesn’t head straight for the recycling bin.
- Presentation
A lot of people don’t realise how important the presentation and layout of their CV is. Employers will have hundreds of CVs to trawl through each day, so make it easy for the recruiter to pick out the key skills that make you perfect for the job. Use concise language and bullet points to allow the reader to find the key facts with just a skim read. The upper middle part of the page is where the eye is naturally drawn to so make sure all the important information is placed there.
- Get the basics right
There are no excuses for having bad spelling and grammar. It looks sloppy and is a huge turn off for employers if there are errors. In fact, most employers will simply throw a CV in the bin if it’s littered with grammatical and spelling mistakes. Get multiple people to proof read your CV before you submit it. It must be perfect.
- Cut the waffle
As previously mentioned, the text on your CV needs to be concise and to the point. Veterinary recruiters simply do not have time to search through the waffle to pick out the relevant parts. Stick to 2 pages of A4 and write in simple, to the point language. You can embellish your CV when you get to the interview stage. Think quality not quantity.
- Don’t be generic
A generic, catch-all CV will not impress anyone. You should tailor it to the job you are applying for and adapt it to the job description where possible. Highlight what you have done which makes you well suited to this specific job and think of it as an opportunity to tick your employer’s job description boxes.
- Stand out
If you can, include some skills or experience which makes you stand out from other candidates. For example, if you have any interesting hobbies which show that you have team building or leadership skills, such as captaining an amateur football team. Use assertive language when describing these hobbies or interests and demonstrate how these experiences have taught you skills which will be useful in employment. What’s more, showing some interests will show an employer that you’re a rounded person and someone they want to work with on a daily basis.
If your CV is up to scratch and you think you’re ready to start applying for jobs, search our extensive list of veterinary employment opportunities across the country.