If you are applying for a new role you need to make sure that your CV stands out from the – probably – hundreds of others the recruiter has received. But how do you get the balance right? Too long and it won’t get read, too short and you have no experience. It goes without saying that it should be spell checked and reviewed by someone other than you. It is easy to read a mistake as correct when you are the one who has written it.

Here are 3 more tips for refining your CV to get you through the door:

• Use keywords, and use them early. Tailor your CV so that it picks up on the keywords used in the advert or job description. This is key, as some recruitment software scans for keywords and if your CV doesn’t have them it may get rejected before it is even read by a human.
• Use bullet points to list your achievements rather than your current responsibilities. A recruiter wants to see what you have achieved that will be relevant to this role. Just having a list of what you do on a daily basis doesn’t show how you have used your knowledge or experience.
• Keep it punchy – make paragraphs no more then 3-5 sentences and the same for bullets (now you see why this piece has 3 bullets!) long lists lead to overload and if your best points are at the bottom of a long list chances are they won’t get acknowledged.

Finally make sure that every time you send your CV you have reviewed it for relevance to the role you are applying for. This shows attention to detail, and interest in this specific role, rather than it appearing you have sent out countless copies in a scatter gun approach.