Now exam season has finished, graduates will soon receive their results in their chosen field. We have all seen the media reports on how challenging the job market it is for graduates right now. With the current market being as competitive as ever, typical entry-level roles appear to now be reserved for candidates with years of experience as companies place unreasonable demands and expectations on those leaving university or college.
With that in mind, this article will provide some key tips that will help graduates have a stand out CV.
Make an Initial Impact with the Profile Section
The profile section is the first chance to make an impact on a recruiter. As they will read an extensive amount of CV documents, this first section needs to make sure they read on!
This section offers the chance to detail their interest and experience in their specific industry so far, such as their expertise across social media platforms and understanding of latest digital trends for a career in the marketing sector for example.
Most importantly, make sure it doesn’t read like a Personal Statement! It shouldn’t be an entire description of their life so far. Keep it concise and to the point. No long paragraphs. Around 100 words and written in the third person.
Key Skills
Make sure to align this section to the profile and the job advert. Around eight bullet points is perfect!
Expand on the Academic Endeavours
This should be presented underneath their Key skills and before the work experience. With work experience likely to be limited, detailing the areas they are most proud of within their academic studies offers a chance to outline the projects and activities they completed. Those projects will not only showcase their project management, critical thinking, time management, and collaborative skills, but they act as a point of reference within a potential interview setting. This can offer an opportunity, to be more precise including details of their role across each project. Although it might seem redundant to list the modules they completed, it is an important aspect to letting the employer know they have some experience/awareness in relevant industry topics.
Work Experience
It goes without saying that any employment experience they have gathered so far is vital to include. There is a certain way to go about it. Keeping key achievements and responsibilities in a bullet point format is preferable as opposed to providing a paragraph of duties. 4/5 for each is recommended, with a focus on emphasising those transferable skills that can be bought to their chosen profession.
Technical Skills
As the use of technology has an ever-expanding impact on the way companies function, detailing proficiency across a range of platforms can be crucial, especially in certain sectors within the digital space. Whether that’s full proficiency across Microsoft 365, including advanced Excel for data‑focused roles, growing capability in modern programming languages, or confident use of today’s AI‑powered tools that support productivity, analysis, and software development
This shows commitment to learning new skills.
Volunteer Work & Extracurricular Activities
If the employment to date is limited, it is vital to place a greater focus on any voluntary work and extra-curricular activities. Whether that be the activities during a Duke of Edinburgh Award or sporting endeavours, or any societies at university, these activities present the opportunity to showcase a commitment and dedication outside of academic study. They also present an opportunity to potentially connect with a recruiter on an aligned topic that could just be the key thing that secures an interview. Keep it short and sweet though.
General Tips
Remember, simplicity and impact is key. Make the CV easy to navigate and read. Avoid extravagant formats, fonts, and colours. Keep it clean, appealing, and accessible.
Finally, standing out to a recruiter is taking that extra time to show they are distinctly interested in that role and company. While more time consuming, showing they have gone beyond simply attaching their CV will put them instantly ahead of many of those competing for the same role.
This can primarily be done in two ways. In the CV document, it is important to read through the job advert and pick up the key skills you feel the employer is looking for. With that in mind, you should make sure your place a greater emphasis on those, with the Professional Profile and Key Skills sections the best place to do so.
Secondly, attaching a cover letter or accompanying message demonstrating suitability, as well as aspirations and the chance for progression within that company adds that all important personal element.
Candid AI takes all of this pressure off completing CVs for graduates. The platform will guides you through to create a clear, structured CV that’s fully ATS‑compliant, highlights their academic strengths, and tailors every section to the job they’re applying for. It also creates a matching Cover Letter in minutes, giving them a complete, aligned application that stands out in a competitive market.
If you’d like to see how Candid can support your graduates, you can book a demo with our team.
