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Updating or rewriting your Curriculum Vitae is never an easy or enjoyable task, but it is perhaps the most essential when it comes to applying for a new job.
You can be the most charming person in the world when it comes to the job interview, but if you don’t make sure your CV accurately represents you and your skills, you’ll never even get invited for one.
But fear not, for Develop has asked a variety of developers, recruitment experts and more for their advice on how to craft that perfect CV. Below you can find our round-up of the best tips:
Stuart Lilford, Sheffield College/Scared Square Games (@Stuart_Lilford)
If you’re applying for a creative position, then be creative with your CV. You need to make sure you stand out.
Katie Goode, Preloaded (@Katie_TriPixels)
Make sure to include screenshots of projects you worked on, and links to videos. It saves the legwork given that all documents are sent via email now.
Marc Williamson, Tag Games (@Mungry)
Don’t lie. The industry is pretty small. Chances are I know someone from companies you worked at and will ask for a reference.
Simon Roth, independent developer (@SimoRoth)
Show real enthusiasm, emphasise communication skills and above all, exercise brevity.
Ben Royce, Datascope (@Dactz1)
Put your biggest selling points first. Don’t make me read about your Geography A Level before I read you’ve worked in AAA for 10 years.
Des Gayle, Altered Gene (@Kid_Desimo)
If you’re in a "skill position" like art or code, actual examples will maintain interest more than a CV ever will.
Imre Jele, Bossa Studios (@imrejele)
A page full of info is great. But don’t forget to show your work! I prefer portfolios to CVs.
Audiomotion Studios (@Audiomotion)
Don’t make silly claims that you can’t back up when being grilled. Something like: "I was artist, coder AND animator on the final group project".
Björn Loesing, VentureOne (@VexingVision)
Summarize your skills and experience in two sentences at the top of your CV. Show me you’re a good fit, don’t make me search.
Omer Younas, Kojima Productions LA (@OmerYounas)
Make the CV unique. Don’t copy the standard format everyone uses; make it stand out but cover all the main points in an interesting way.
Aron Durkin, Aloha Games (@AronDurkin)
Keep it relevant. When there’s a stack of 50 CVs to look over, your dog grooming skills won’t impress anyone.
Louisa Gallie, HuntedCowStudios (@LouisaGallie)
Only include hobbies that are relevant to the job, or are actually interesting. "Socialise with friends" says nothing unique. I also prefer to ditch "Responsible for" statements and instead say how I executed those responsibilities.
Mark Backler, Marmalade (@MarkBackler)
Keep it concise and keep editing and improving it. Send your CV on to trusted friends to critique for you. Ask to see the CV’s of friends doing similar jobs and find blogs and websites of people doing the same or similar jobs and often they will have a CV that you can look at to help you improve yours.
For more from our New Year, New Job special, head to www.develop-online.net/jobs2015
