CV Writing Blog
At PurpleCV, we know how to write a CV that will maximise your chances of getting the job you want. We’ve had plenty of practice and have plenty of success stories to shout about. We’d love to share some of our knowhow with you - have a read through our various blog articles:
How to Really Sell Yourself in Your Personal Statement
The personal statement is often considered the most challenging part of a CV to write.
The perfect personal statement should succinctly communicate your best and most relevant qualities, skills and experience, whilst giving the reader an idea of who you are.
It should draw attention to the best parts of your CV and perhaps offer information you’ve left out elsewhere.
A well-written personal statement is a great way to add impact to your CV. Our guide explains how to really sell yourself in your personal statement.
5 Creative Ways to Make Your CV Stand Out
Sick of applying for jobs and hearing nothing back? With hiring managers sifting through dozens, if not hundreds, of applications for each job advertised, your CV needs to have a real ‘wow’ factor to get noticed.
According to research by National Citizen Service, half of employers spend less than six seconds looking at a CV. That gives you six seconds to grab and hold their attention. But how do you do it?
Here are five creative ways to make your CV stand out.
The Top 5 Qualities Employers are Looking for in Candidates
Being the right fit for a job isn’t just about having the right qualifications and experience. Employers are also looking for candidates with the right personality traits.
Hard skills, like the ability to use a certain computer programme, are undoubtedly important. But employers also value less tangible skills, like a positive attitude and the ability to empathise.
A recent survey by US jobs website CareerBuilder confirmed this: of 2,138 employers surveyed, 77% said soft skills were just as important as hard skills when evaluating a candidate for a job. 16% said soft skills were more important.
Further research by Stockholm-based employer branding firm Universum investigated the qualities employers are looking for in candidates, and narrowed down the data to five top traits.
These were: professionalism (86% of employers indicated they consider it critical in the hiring process); energy (78%); confidence (61%); independence (58%) and intellectual curiosity (57%).
Here we look at how to adjust your interview tactics to demonstrate these qualities.
7 Signs It's Time to Find a New Job
Most of us have fantasised about leaving our jobs at some point in our careers. Our fantasies may range from the outlandish – like quitting a job in IT to become a professional falconer – to the practical, like getting a job that pays better.
Whatever our aspirations, we’re not alone. LinkedIn reported that whilst 25% of its 313 million members were actively looking for a job, 60% were ‘passive’ jobseekers – people who are not necessarily looking for a job, but would move if the right offer came along.
Despite this, many of us feel comfortable in the routine of a familiar job, and fear change and uncertainty. Staying in a job we're unsatisfied with seems preferable to facing the big, scary unknown.
It can sometimes be difficult to leave a job, even if we find it dull and uninspiring. If you’re having trouble deciding whether it’s time to find a new job, look out for these seven signs.
CV Secrets: What Recruiters are Really Looking For
Your CV is your first opportunity to impress recruiters. And, as careers websites are only too fond of telling us, recruiters spend on average only a minute or two looking at a CV before deciding whether to progress the candidate’s application.
If you want to avoid being relegated to the ‘no’ pile, it’s vital to make sure your CV hits all the right buttons and includes the stuff that’s going to get you noticed.
A quick Google search will yield an overwhelming amount of information about what’s important on a CV. But don’t worry – we’ve done the hard work for you. Here we reveal what recruiters are really looking for when they glance over your CV.
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