How to create a draft CV
Creating a draft CV is one of the best ways to ensure your final version is of the highest quality. An initial draft will also allow you to focus on what you feel is important for a prospective job. Overall it will make it easier for you to filter out irrelevant information, and only keep the good stuff.
Here’s a short guide on how to create a draft CV…
Decide upon your sections
The first thing you need to do is consider which sections you want in your CV. Whilst some are mandatory requirements like the work history section, others are not. Your hobbies and interests don’t necessarily need to take up valuable space for example. Especially if they are quite generic – reading books, socialising on the weekend, and going to the cinema. If however your hobbies are quite unique, sporty or creative; then you should use these to further demonstrate soft skills.
One of the best ways to ensure you have all the sections you need is to consider using a CV template. Not only will this save you a lot of time, it will also provide you with the sections to start your draft – and it will look great!
Now that you have all the sections you want for your CV, you can now start listing a few things to get the ball rolling. For example, underneath the ‘skills’ section you can begin to draft down everything you’ve attained over the years.
Once you’ve got a list you can then begin to cross out the irrelevant information. Remember, it’s important to only keep information which is important to the role/industry you’re applying for. You should only be left with around 5-7 skills at the most, if not less. Use the job advert to closely match the same keywords for the skills and anything else important to the role.
Brainstorm and go crazy
Your draft copy will allow you to brainstorm and throw anything you want onto the page. Most of what you write in the draft will not make the final copy. But it’s important to realise that if you didn’t brainstorm you’d probably be missing something special out.
Jot down anything that pops into your head, no matter how silly it may seem. You just might find that when you begin to pick out the best stuff you find a little gem that makes it into your final CV.
Compare your draft to the job advert
Throughout the whole process you need to constantly compare what you’ve written with the job advert. The job description should be used as a checklist, ensuring that all the key points are covered on your CV.
Remember, the employer wants to hire someone who has clearly demonstrated they are right for the job. A generic CV that simply lists all of your skills and achievements will not do that. All it will do is frustrate the hiring manager, and make their job a lot harder.