Four Steps That You Can Take To Boost Your CV

Anyone who has ever spent any time hunting for a job knows how competitive and tough it can be. The UK job market may be more welcoming now than it was a couple of years ago, but there are still plenty of reasons to be cautious.

What’s more, you are still going to be going up against some fierce competition.

It can sometimes seem like no matter what you do, there is always someone who either has all the right qualifications and all the exact experience that the employers are looking for.

What you need to remember is that even though you may not be able to do anything about the other people out there going for the same jobs as you, there are steps that you can take to make yourself a more enticing prospect.

If you are fresh out of university or looking for the best way to take that next step towards your dream job, here are a few tips to help you boost your CV.

Don’t Be Modest

A classic mistake that a lot of people make when it comes to their resumes is to leave things off that they think don’t matter. However, you need to remember that your recruiter will not be able to read through the lines of anything that you have put to paper.

If there is something that you have achieved that would impress someone, and which you think would be worthy of inclusion, then you need to make sure that it is on your CV.

There are so many people looking for jobs and second jobs right now. Do not be modest. On the other side of this coin, it is also important to remember that you should never include any false information on your CV. Even if it seems relatively minor, this will look very bad if it is found out.

Consider Further Education

One of the main things that hold a lot of people back from getting into their dream jobs is that they are going up against a lot of people who may have more experience or more qualifications. We’ll get onto the experience part in a moment, but you can do something about your lack of qualifications.

Postgraduate study is a great way of giving yourself a proper education in your chosen area as well as picking up some practical skills. A lot of people out there look back at their undergraduate degrees and wonder why they chose to study what they did.

It is very common for students to graduate and realise that they want to pursue a different career path entirely. You would be amazed at the range of different masters’ courses on offer, and if you are looking for postgraduate courses in Scotland, you should look at the University of Stirling. They have 90 different postgraduate degrees for you to look at, and fees and funding options are available. Visit their website to find out more.

Do Whatever It Takes To Get Experience

It can be so frustrating when you keep seeing job postings that require experience in that role, but you can’t find any that will give you that experience. This is where you need to get proactive and think about what you can do to attain it. There will often be internship opportunities available, although you need to tread carefully with these.

Many businesses offer rolling internships as a way of unloading a lot of time-consuming work, and they will leave you with little in the way of practical training. If you are already at work but feel like you have hit the ceiling, think about asking to shadow someone in a different department or on the rung above you.

Volunteer to take part in projects that you know will give you specific experience that you can show off on your resume. If you can demonstrate that you have shown initiative to improve your skillset, this will definitely impress recruiters.

Think About Freelancing

During periods where you are out of work, it can so often feel like you are chipping away at the same rock wall with nothing to show for it. If you are beginning to struggle, or indeed if you are just getting fed up with browsing the same job sites every day, then you could think about doing a bit of freelance work.

The self-employed market has been flooded in the last couple of years, but there is always work out there for people who can be flexible with both their working hours and their workload. Talk to people you know who freelance full time about whether or not this could be a smart choice for you.

Be aware of the risks (including extremely late payments). Even if you don’t make enough to cover all of your costs at first, this will be another piece of work experience that you can add to your resume and will also demonstrate that you are a self-starter with real initiative.