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A good contractor CV more important than ever

Published on Jan 9, 2009 |

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A survey by a leading job site shows that, more than ever, a well-prepared CV is the most important step in securing that next role.

The importance of the CV has grown as competition for roles has increased due to the worsening jobs market.

Experteer.co.uk, found that 57% of the 50 top recruiters it surveyed believe that the importance of a CV in the job application process has not changed much in the last decade, but the vast majority (86%) see the CV as an important starting point to research potential candidates as competition for vacancies increases.

Given the current uncertainty in the contractor job market, and greater competition for the best contract roles, we believe that this is the perfect time for contractors to make sure their CV's are as accurate, well presented and polished as possible.

Here are a few contractor CV tips, inspired by the survey findings.

1. Most recruiters view CV's on their PC's rather than on paper (like the old days). You should therefore take care as spelling errors are more likely to be highlighted automatically by PC spellcheckers. You should also use a screen-friendly font and make the most of hyperlinks if they are relevant to your past experience (e.g. showing off your web design portfolio).

2. Recruiters use a lot of online research to check potential candidates' details. Make sure there are no glaring inconsistencies between your CV and any online profiles you may have filled out (e.g. linkedin or facebook).

3. With recruiters spending under a minute researching CV's (and often a few seconds if the CV is obviously poorly presented), make sure you include a punchy introduction to catch the readers' attention.

Further Reading

• 10 classic IT contractor CV mistakes
• How to write a good IT contractor CV