Why is it so important to keep a regular eye on your CV?
How many times at school, or at university do you reckon you've heard the word 'CV', at least over 50 times right?
Whether you are discussing it with your friends, teachers or getting the 'employment' lecture at university, we've always been surrounded by the word (Kind of like that song you hear everywhere you go). It's now that I've finished my university degree that I've realised how beneficial it would have been for me to keep a regular eye on my CV throughout the years rather than taking a brief look at it whenever I was bored.
So here are some of the reasons as to why I believe it's important to keep a regular eye on your CV, especially throughout your university years.
Having time to tailor it to the sector you want to work in.
Keeping a regular eye on your CV application means that there is plenty of time to spend tailoring it to your specific line of work (future job). Different sectors of work require different types of experience, skills and attributes, therefore requiring a lot of google searchers surrounding that specific job specification. The fact that you've started the preparation early means that you can get a full grasp of what type of specific skills your CV should present.
Time to fill in the gaps.
Following on from the first point, after having a thorough look at the kind of experience you need for your ideal job, it is important to look back at your CV and see what you have missing. Do you have enough communication-based experience? Enough teaching experience? Customer service roles? If you don't and are seeing a lot of gaps, because you have found out pretty early on in second year of university, you have plenty of time to go out and search for some voluntary work.
Does it set you apart from everyone else?
Another important aspect is to see whether you can do anything 'different' on your CV. What I mean from this is whether you could find any experience that makes you stand out of the box that actually looks like you've branched out? Having the skills your future jobs requires may not be enough, and does not guarantee a job. However, having wider skills, or adventurous skills that does not necessary fit with the job description might help you.
Layout and Proof checking.
Though this is one of the easier reasons, it can take up a long time to edit your CV and choose a layout you are happy with. Having a lot of time to spend on your CV lessens as your workload increases throughout university, however, if you look at it once a week and edit the layout, you won't feel so rushed. Also, getting your friends, parents and even companies to proof read your CV early on will mean that you are getting feedback early and means you can spend as much time as you want making adjustments.
No rushing. No regrets.
Starting your CV early and making sure you keep it updated will save you a lot of hassle and regret. You won't be rushing around and worried about whether your CV is up to scratch. Also, neither will you have to spend hours on it when you've finished it, all you'll be doing is tailoring it to the different company roles.
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