The 6-step guide to perfecting your graduate CV

Most CV advice is about layout. This TARGETjobs guide by Abigail Lewis is about something more useful: what your CV is actually saying about you.

The six steps, in short:

1. Choose your story. High achiever, committed to the profession, someone who has overcome a lot. Pick one or two, not five.
2. Pick a structure that supports that story.
3. Use the employer's language. Mirror the skills and values in the job description so they're easy to spot.
4. Put yourself at the centre. Give the context, what you did and the result. In team work, make your own part clear.
5. Create talking points. Include things you'd enjoy discussing at interview.
6. Make gaps part of the story. Brief and factual, focused on what you learned.

Good for: students who have the facts down but feel their CV reads like a list.