Start your CV with 3 sentences that say 'Interview Me!'

My Great First Job CVs have one purpose only…..to get you into the interview room. If you don’t get into the room it won’t matter how phenomenal your interview questions are, or how sensational your personal examples of team playing are. Because no-one will get to hear them.

So after you’ve started your CV with the personal details stuff (name, address, contact details etc) you need a ‘Summary Statement.’ The clue is in the name. It provides the employer with a summary of what’s on your CV and it’s a statement that should be saying “read this…and it will explain why you need to see me”.

Don’t fluff it up or use words and phrases that mean nothing to you, thinking they make you sound a bit older. Just tell it like it is….and make sure it’s been written especially for the opportunity you are applying for.

Here’s a pretty straightforward example.

I am 18 years old, and have recently completed A Levels. I am looking to start a career in sales and am available to start immediately. Throughout the 6th Form I have worked part-time in retail, where I have enjoyed the challenge of reaching and exceeding sales targets and have twice been named ’Sales Person of the Month’. I hold a full driving licence and have my own car.

It’s really important that your Summary Statement matches the job you are applying for. An obvious point perhaps, but I can’t tell you the number of CVs I’ve received from adults that didn’t match the job I was selecting candidates for. It’s not unusual to get a CV telling you how the applicant is looking to continue their accounts careers….when the the job they’ve applied for is an IT role!

So re-write that Summary Statement for every single application. Think about what they want to know and how you can demonstrate it…and then get that into 2 or 3 sentences. Make the interviewer

1) want to read the rest of the CV and

2) have already decided to see you before they do!