What to include in a CV - 6 essential things that will make you stand out

The Construction Industry can be a competitive environment, irrespective of sector. A good CV  is your first opportunity for self-promotion and marketing, and for an employer it ultimately decides whether they would consider you for an interview. Not all roles require a CV, however for the ones that do this should serve as a guide on what to put in in order to make you stand out from all of the other applicants.

Brief personal statement

Start off with a few lines which will summarise your experience to date and what it is that you can offer the employer. Avoid superfluous details or skills that arent necessary, instead, try to make this very concise and unique to the role you are applying for. 

Career history

Starting with your most recent employer, list your past jobs in chronological order. Be accurate with excluding the gaps, or if you do have gaps in your work history, be clear about what they were to avoid any confusion. 

Skills and achievements

If you’re writing a functional CV, or have some abilities you want to show off to the employer immediately, insert a key skills section underneath your profile. Remember, your skills should always be evolving so not only make this section relevant and concise make sure your skill set is up to date.

Education and training

Starting with your most recent qualification, list your education in chronological order. Make sure that you the correct ‘to and from’ dates, then fill out the subjects, grades obtained, and other related awards and achievements.

References

Use this extra space on your CV wisely. It’s commonplace to put ‘Available on request’ rather than list the name, job title, and address of a former employer. 

Proofread

Finally, check for typos and grammar. By making the effort to ensure your CV is 100% error-free, you are providing another signal to the reader that you could be the right person for the job. Above all, checking for errors will build the perception in the reader’s mind that you have a proactive and committed attitude. When competition is so high, the fact of the matter is that a simple typo could mean your CV is rejected.