With millions of students studying in the UK plus rising graduating rates, no longer are paper CVs enough to get you noticed when looking for your first step on the professional career ladder. Noa Polak, Talent Acquisition Manager at Wix provides her top tips on how to create an eye-catching online CV.

Keep it Simple

Aim to keep things very simple for your future employers. They should be able to get a quick and solid idea of who you are in minimum time and effort. Your website should contain a homepage with a short introduction and photo of yourself, a CV page, your portfolio, and a contact page. For ease, you can use one of Wix’s templates for creating your online CV as they already consist of the key elements you should have. What’s more, you can customise it by dragging and dropping images and text onto the template to look exactly how you want it with a few clicks.
Online CV

Keep it Smart
Aim to present information in a clear and concise manner. Avoid going into detail about the past unless it’s relevant to your industry or job. Using casual language is fine, but be careful not to push it as you still have to maintain a certain level of professionalism.

Your CV page should contain the following main elements: your name, education, work experience, a way to contact you, and a headshot image. Ensure that you list your most recent work first and include keywords which are relevant to your desired role or industry. Omit experience that dates back further than 10 years unless it’s essential.

Keep it Engaging
It’s a good idea to add a photo of yourself to your CV and it is often best to place it on the homepage, alongside  your name. Unless you do modelling, acting, or any other line of work which involves your looks, it is best to use only one professional photo of yourself. Definitely avoid uploading your entire holiday photo album or your latest selfie!

Other images which can be useful for your page are those that contribute to your portfolio and might exhibit your skillset; these include designs, copywriting samples, sketches, or even logos of companies that you worked with in the past. Take advantage of the fact that your online resume allows you to add some colour and interest to engage potential employers.

Keep it Perfect
It’s important to check, double check, and then triple check! Having any spelling, grammatical, or formatting mistakes can be a red flag for potential employers. Whilst you may have extensive experience and glowing references, that rogue comma could be costly. Make sure you spell-check and get another set of eyes to proof every page. Make sure that all pixels are lined up and that your graphics and photos are of the highest quality.