As a graduate, you understand that you need to have a CV to get a job. But have you ever thought about what it needs to look like? Lucky for you, Gradlinc has your back and has done the research. Each industry has their own needs and wants. For example, if you want to pursue a career in a more creative industry like Marketing or Content Creation, then your CV needs to reflect your creativity. However, if you want to pursue a career in Law or Engineering, your future employer wants you to have a conservative CV that emphasises your academic achievements.

Our first tip to you is therefore to research the CV trends in your industry. General information is readily available on the internet, but it is also wise to speak to the career counsellors at your university because they would have the most recent trends. Reach out to your favourite lecturers and hear what they have to say, and do not forget to speak to your classmates who might be interested in pursuing a similar career. The more information that you have, the more you are equipping yourself with power tools to make your CV more attractive, which increases your chances of getting short listed for the interview process.

Always remember that for every job that you apply for, more than 100 people will likely be applying for that same position. So, the person initially reviewing your CV won’t read the whole thing. To get short listed, your CV must pop. To ensure that your CV pops, make sure that you highlight the important stuff. The important stuff not only includes your academic achievements but also any clubs and social activities that you participate in. This helps your CV pop because it shows potential employers that you are a well-rounded individual who can work in a team. This is important irrespective of the industry that you want to get into because no company expects their employees to work in isolation.

As a graduate, you may not understand the power of LinkedIn, but trust us, create a profile, start making the connections early and regularly update your profile with relevant articles and shares from other individuals. LinkedIn is a very powerful tool that you can use for networking purposes and the most common platform that employers look at when deciding if you will be a good fit for their company. It also serves as a platform for you to get a feel for other individuals who are already employed and what their interests are from a career perspective.

Creating an appealing CV is not rocket science, you just need to pay attention to the wants and needs of the industry that you want to enter. If this is rocket science, then research those wants and needs too.