With over 27 Years experience in recruiting, we know it can sometimes be daunting when it comes to updating your CV…To help, we sat down with our top recruiters and asked them the do’s and don’ts of CV writing and top tips to maximise your potential and increase the chances of finding that perfect role…
1. Start from the top
Create a brief introduction to yourself and your background, making sure you include the following; Full Name, Job Title Date of Birth, Nationality / Right to work. It’s also a great place to add your Qualifications, Education, Licenses and Type Ratings (if applicable) as it is often one of the first things we are drawn to, as well as our clients. Add any other relevant information that you think is of particular interest such as Visa’s, Security Clearances and Airport accesses at the top of the page and in view.
(Top Tip – Adding a headshot style image of yourself can also improve your chances of success!)
2. Contact Ready
Make sure you have clear and correct contact details, such as your contact number, email address and home address as these can be an important part of the selection process and we need to able to get in touch with you!
3. Employment History
It is important to make sure your employment history is clear and up to date, especially if you have completed lots of contracts!
Make sure you use the same format all the way through your CV, consistency is key!
Company Title (include agency if applicable)
Position Title
Dates of employment / contract – Dates should be clear and in the same format consistently throughout your CV, they must at least contain the month and year ( 01/23 ) but complete dates would be preferred (26/01/23)
(Top Tip – Start with the most recent employment history first!)
4. Don’t forget details
Detail out the work completed in each project, employment or contract, although you might expect everyone to know the tasks included in your position, assume they do not. Make sure you list out tasks that you were completing and on which aircraft. If it was a specific project then give as much detail as possible! If you have lots of contract positions then concentrate on your most recent experience in detail and then later on you can detail the main tasks and aircraft.
(Top Tip – You don’t have to limit the number of pages on your CV, but only include relevant information to keep it as concise as possible!)
“The CV’s that always stand out have a detailed sentence or two about their duties and responsibilities. They should be clear on what your job role is and how long you have been doing it for…”
Emily Render, Bostonair Permanent & Executive Recruiter
More Tips and tricks…
- Try and keep your CV’s in a clear and straightforward format with a beginning, middle and end. Recruiters and agencies will often use technology to pick out keywords when searching for candidates and these can become confused or missed if CV’s are formatted inconsistently! PDF documents are OK but splitting the page into boxes, or adding backgrounds can sometimes lead to errors.
- Try to tailor your CV to the position you are applying for. This could mean you have multiple versions of your CV, but you have to assume that the person reading your CV doesn’t know you or your experience. For example, if you are applying for a Sheet Metal position, make sure the details in your employment history makes it clear about your experience in Sheet Metal Work and isn’t focused on other maintenance areas.
- International Aviation is predominantly an English speaking market so if the role you are applying for is overseas, make sure your CV is in good and understandable English. This doesn’t mean it has to be perfect, but it needs to make sense. If you are not sure, have it checked by a friend or colleague to make sure, don’t rely on Google translate!
