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Creative ways to bulk up your CV

[/fusion_title][fusion_text]When applying for a job, you always want to put your best foot forward. And the best way to do that is with your CV. Whether you are applying for City of Cape Town vacancies or a designer job in Johannesburg, your CV needs to make you look like the ideal candidate.

But what if you have only had one job for years or you are just starting out? How do you make sure your CV lands on the top of the pile? Well, here are some creative ways to bulk up your CV and make yourself more attractive to potential employers.

Highlight your soft skills

Once you have answered the question, “What job would suit me?”, you need to ask yourself, “What makes me suit this job?”. What skills do you have that would make you perfect to work at the City of Cape Town offices? Are you patient and a people’s person? Are you an excellent communicator? Are you able to easily put yourself in someone else’s shoes? These are just some of the soft skills that you may have. Adding these to your CV will give your short list of work experience a bit more length. Just remember to include how you have proven yourself to have these skills in the past or how you gained these skills in the first place.

Soft skills are incredibly important when job hunting as they can separate you from someone who has the same amount of experience or education as you.

Include independent projects you’ve worked on

If you have personal projects that you have done in the past that show your talent or your skills, then add these to your CV. This will show the hiring manager that you are passionate about the industry or career you’re trying to get into. However, it is important that you make sure these projects relate to the job you are applying for. A series of artworks you completed won’t help you when applying for jobs at the City of Cape Town, but they may help you land that creative design job that you’ve been dreaming about.

Point out promotions and the addition of new responsibilities

If you have years of work experience, but it was all for one company, don’t just include one line about the job. List any promotions or additional responsibilities to make your CV more impressive. For example, if you started out as an intern and then became a junior designer, you need to add those as two separate jobs. It will not only lengthen your CV and make it more impactful, it will also show that you are ambitious and hardworking.

Take an online course or three

No matter what education you have, no matter how much experience you have, if you’re looking to bulk up your CV, taking online courses can help. Whatever industry you are in or whatever skills you are looking to obtain, there is likely at least one online course available for you. And you will also probably be able to find these courses online for free. You will only have to pay if you want the actual certificate. However, you can still list the courses on your CV without having a copy of the certificate.

It’s also a good idea to take courses in other areas of the industry you want to work in. This will give you insight into what your future colleagues do in their respective departments. And, at the same time, it will impress your future employer.

At the end of the day, you want your CV to be the perfect representation of you and the skills you have. And that is why it’s a good idea to bulk up your CV if you feel you don’t have enough experience to put down.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]