How to make a CV stand out? What do employers like?

[GlitterOakTree]

I want to apply to a finance apprenticeship role but I want to avoid all the frequently used buzzwords that you find on a CV like "meticulus", "hard working", "logically minded" as it all sounds very cliché.

I don't know where to start as I have no experience in finance but I do enjoy working with figures and analysing data and using that info to think outside the box.

Any tips on how to make my CV stick out in a good way?

What do you look for as an employer?

What would convince you to give an entry level person a chance?

Lol please don't spell meticulous wrong on your cv. The irony! 😂😂😂

Most CVs are picked up online and are run through a programme which will pull out key words - you need to pepper your CV with quite a lot of the following - and you should be able to illustrate them with examples

Communication skills — Listening, speaking and writing. Employers want people who can accurately interpret what others are saying and organize and express their thoughts clearly.

Teamwork — In today’s work environment, many jobs involve working in one or more groups. Employers want someone who can bring out the best in others.

Analytical and problem-solving skills — Employers want people who can use creativity, reasoning and past experiences to identify and solve problems effectively.

Personal management skills — The ability to plan and manage multiple assignments and tasks, set priorities and adapt to changing conditions and work assignments.

Interpersonal effectiveness — Employers usually note whether an employee can relate to co-workers and build relationships with others in the organization.

Computer/technical literacy — Although employers expect to provide training on job-specific software, they also expect employees to be proficient with basic computer skills.

Leadership/management skills — The ability to take charge and manage your co-workers, if required, is a welcome trait. Most employers look for signs of leadership qualities.

Learning skills — Jobs are constantly changing and evolving, and employers want people who can grow and learn as changes come.
Academic competence in reading and math — Although most jobs don’t require calculus, almost all jobs require the ability to read and comprehend instructions and perform basic math.

Strong work values — Dependability, honesty, self confidence and a positive attitude are prized qualities in any profession. Employers look for personal integrity.

Haha oops. I knew I'd spelt the first time but auto correct spelt it that way.

You need to use the buzz words for the software, plus give brief examples where those words apply.

PlainSpeaking

Your post is so helpful. Thank you

Lots of useful tips I can use to tweak my CV. Appreciate it.

From the ones I see, good spelling and punctuation is a really good place to start and would put you at least halfway up the field! Get someone else to read it, then you don't see your own mistakes.

Beyond that, tailor it to the position and make sure it includes examples of when you've demonstrated what you need. You're right, if you buzz words will leave them cold, you need to show you have the actual skills and experience they're asking for.

What is the job spec? You need to show evidence you hit all the criteria.

YW

I put my CV on Linkedin - and I only showed as having 2 core skills - I have all of the skills, just not worded correctly. Its a faff! but a bit of tinkering and Bobs your uncle!

And use something like 'Grammarly' to do your SPaG - its fantastic

Choose the skills from @PlainTalking's list above that are on the job description. Use the same language they have used.

If they say e.g. " interpersonal/team work/collaborative" you should refer to the same.

Don't guess at what you think they want, look at what they tell you they want. Go to a recruitment event if you can and ask as well.

Give (brief) evidence of the skills. Anyone can say they are a creative thinker. When have you demonstrated that? Think of previous work/hobbies/study if relevant

E.g.
Analysed data for sales period x-y, identifying problem z
Developed innovative solution ABC which resulted in positive customer feedback and 17% increase in sales period a-b;

Do your research into the company: mission statement/values etc is there anything you can adapt/ add to your CV that can reflect those?

Good luck!

As I think someone mentions above, a lot of applications we receive are poor (badly laid out, sparce or over-verbose, full of spelling errors etc) so a simply presented 2 page CV with no spelling is already going to put you higher up in the pile.
We recruit apprentices at work and the thing I particularly look for is evidence that you are really interested in the area of work you want to do your apprenticeship in. This is particularly important if you have relatively little work experience to talk about which is often the case with apprentice applications. So recently we advertised for IT apprentices and you'd be surprised how many applications made no reference to IT at all and even those that did there was just a passing reference so not clear if they were interested in IT as a career or just applying for everything that looked vaguely suitable. The ones that really stood out demonstrated their interest in IT, they told us about fixing computers at home, a computer club they belonged to, some free online courses they had done etc. It was really obvious that this was someone who genuinely wanted a career in IT. So the main advice I would give is for you to try to work out why you want to work in finance (as opposed to say Business Intelligence which also required data analysis skills) and to think about how you can demonstrate your interest, e.g. have you done any work experience relating to finance, talked to people about finance roles, read up about what it involves. Are you aware of the different types of finance careers so could you talk about why the particular apprentice you are applying for appeals to you.
Also, agree with what others have said re looking for words in the advert such as "ability to work in team" and evidence this in your application. Don't overdo though, it sticks out (in a not very positive way) if applicants fill their CV with words from the advert.
Hope this helps.

Don't include useless info like your address, hobbies etc.

@halfwitpicker I saw a cv once that said ‘i’m very interested in cooking, since being made redundant I have been able to rustle up a mean casserole.’ Erm Ok then!

I think the advice about not including hobbies is usually fine if you have work experience but if you haven't, eg school leaver applying for first job then hobbies tell the employer something about you particularly if hobbies are relevant. So whilst above example isn't worded great, if you were a 16 yr old applying for an apprentice chef type role then saying that you often cooked for friends and family and were currently trying out x and y cuisines may be helpful.

Focus on accomplishments and business goals achieved rather than you !

2 pages and snappy
And no one cares about Saturday jobs and GCSE
Do add
Anything voluntary though

Yes, my DS has a short paragraph about keeping his Aquarium and the research he does and responsibilities he has. I wouldn't put it on my CV but at 15...well he got one of the top rated apprenticeships!

Keep the cv to 2 pages - long cvs with lots of text and little white space get binned - I do anyway. Buzz words in covering letter tailored to the job

I think some of this advice is misleading. OP has said they are applying for an entry level apprenticeship role. Suggesting including business goals achieved, buzz words for skills and saying they shouldn't include gcse's or Saturday jobs is unhelpful advice if the OP is a 16 or 18 year old school leaver.

I'm a 26 year old woman. The apprenticeship is open to those of all ages but I'm entry level because I've been a sahm. I didn't complete my degree, just to clear things up.

I am going through CVs at the moment. If you are applying to a big company, they will use software to pull out applications which cover specifications from the job description/person specifications.

In a smaller company like mine, the CVs will be gone through by hand.

Tailor your CV to the role you are applying for. Keep it succinct. Give short examples of how you fit the criteria.

Check spelling, punctuation and grammar. Then check them again.

And this would appear to be key given the applications I am considering at the moment...don't use text speak in your CV!

Good luck.

Not all apprenticeships are entry level by any means now and the good ones that are are very competitive. I know someone who just interviewed for a L3 engineering apprenticeship with one of the top 100. 293 applicants but they only found 3 they wanted to interview.

Make sure you have a covering letter that answers WHY this role and WHY now - critical to cover these off in every application. Best of luck OP. Higher level apprenticeships are fantastic if you can secure a place.

In our work we interview based on meeting the criteria in the job advert, so look at the skills required in the ad and make sure you have something that covers everything if possible. It's all scored now, so there is a table with the criteria and options for meeting, partially meeting or not meeting it. Interviews are scored on response to each question and highest score overall wins.

Make sure there is nothing odd on your cv like a picture of yourself, age, marital status etc.

If you do get invited for interview, remember every person you come into contact with may be asked for an opinion, so be polite and friendly (but not overly) to everyone you meet.

The one I'm applying foe is entry level. They only ask of 5 GCSE grades A-C and 2 A levels at a pass (E grade). I meet the criteria and they have emphasised that you have the people skills despite it being a Finance apprenticeship. I expect lots of school leavers to apply but as I mentioned before, I've been at home with a small child so out of the workplace for a while.

A cover letter is not required with this apprenticeship. Just submit a CV, video interview, competency based questions and then assessment centre where I'll have to take part in group tasks.

I guess the video interview is basically the cover letter.