What makes a CV standout?

[back2workback2reality]

Posting for traffic and fast replies as I need to do this today

NC to hide all posting history from any potential employer obviously

I've been out of work since a difficult pregnancy with my DS who is now 6

I can only be truthful on my application but what would make me stand out on a CV?

(I have experience for the position) but I haven't worked now for over 7 years and prior to that I'd had a career change for a few years from this type of work too so say 10 years ago I had experience...

I don't want a dated, boring looking application compared to the new 20 something year olds I would be competing against to get to interview...

Use the essential criteria from the job spec as subheadings in your work history. Give examples of how you've done each of them. If you can make it easy for the recruiter to go "tick, tick, tick" you're more likely to get in the door for interview and that's when you can wow them with your dazzling personal skills etc.

Everything else on a CV is just frippery to be honest.

Hi OP, I recommend looking for CV word templates. I bought one for £12.

Nothing fancy but it nice colours, fonts and borders so the whole thing looks well put together. I feel it just makes it look more professional than a times new roman size 12!

Some good advice here - and I would add that you really should get someone you trust to read the finished article to spot errors or give any feedback on how it comes across.

You want someone with excellent spelling and grammar to proofread it, and someone who has experience in recruiting for this kind of role (or failing that, any kind of recruiting) to critique it.

Short, to the point, a clean layout - no random bits of text scattered all over the place. Quadruple check your spelling and grammar. Make sure the dates of jobs etc match up. Check the tense you've written things in is correct - ie 3 jobs ago shouldn't say "i do xxx and am responsible for xxxx".

Er you don't need to pay for CV templates. Just Google it.

And don't use colours.

And you don't need to include your address.

Personal statement should be incorporated into the cover letter.

• Standard font; arial, calibri or times new roman, not too small
• Lots of bullet points, normal ones
• Personal statement at the top on a brief paragraph; this is the bit where you'll need most help so can you give us some details? e.g. "I have 10 years of project management experience, successfully managing teams of up to 10 people to deliver on time within the £1m budget. Examples of the delivery include X and Y (relevant to the role). Returning to full-time work from a maternity career break, I have refreshed my PRINCE2 qualification and am looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead." (Someone can probably improve on that last sentence.)
• Work experience; given this is old I'd focus on job titles, make the dates visually less conspicuous
• Qualifications if there's room; I'd usually only include any degrees
• Hobbies etc are pointless unless you do something that will interest everyone e.g. cycle in the Olympic team.

Good luck!

Go with skillset not chronological. It allows you to sell your skills and keep any stopgaps jobs or unemployment more hidden. It is also still pretty unusual in the UK.

Standard font; arial, calibri or times new roman, not too small

Don't use times new roman. It looks desperately old fashioned. Here's a good article on fonts ...

m.huffpost.com/us/entry/7562714