HOW TO PUT TOGETHER YOUR PROPERTY CV
Take a look at the updated version of this guide.
Find out our latest CV advice by reading the new version of this guide – Writing your CV.
If you’re looking to land a job in property, the first thing you’ll need to do is prove to the employer that you’re the best candidate for the role. Their initial perceptions will be based on the information you supply right at the start, so it’s important to ensure your CV pushes all the right buttons.
Now, because property is such a competitive field to move into, you must display a passion for working in this particular area. Just tweaking an existing CV isn’t enough when you’re trying to land a job as an estate agent or a similar role. Use your CV – along with the cover letter – to explain exactly why you want to work in property and how you’d be perfect for the role in question. Then, with all of your skills and qualifications highlighted in a professional-looking document, the company will be able to make a well-informed decision on your suitability for the job.
If you’re looking to create a property CV of you’re own, here’s a selection of tips to help you get started.
Summarise
Always include a brief summary of yourself at the start of the document. Recruiters often have to flick through tens or even hundreds of CVs before narrowing their search down to just a few applicants. They have limited time to conduct this process and will use the summary to make sure you have the right skills for the job. Write in the third person, show a little of your character and highlight your best attributes as a professional. Don’t go as far as listing the companies you’ve worked for just yet. Use this part to provide a basic overview of who you are and what you’re about.
Work experience
The next step is to start listing your career details. Although you should try to list jobs and experience that can be linked to the role you’re applying for, including roles where you’ve gained promotions or showcased an ability to lead may help you come across as well-rounded. Any customer-facing roles might also be worth noting if you word it the right way, so don’t think your six months as a barman or salesperson went completely to waste.
Include the company name, your job title, the date you started and ended your time there (use ‘present’ if this is your current job), before listing the types of duties you conducted or oversaw.
Again, when compiling your list of duties, try to include lots of information relevant to the job at hand. You might find that a few tasks that wouldn’t have been appropriate in the last role you went for could be perfect for the one you’re applying for now.
Academic achievements
Your academic achievements should be displayed in the usual format. Place your degree subject, university and any other details regarding this qualification right at the top before listing A levels, GCSEs or equivalents. Mention all grades unless they’re poor, as As and Bs in any subject should display your willingness to work and ability to deliver when it matters.
Also, make room for any extra-curricular achievements you feel could aid your case. Anything that showcases your leadership or talents in another area can be advantageous in most roles, so don’t leave your Duke of Edinburgh awards or college sports honours on the cutting room floor.
Text
The key here is to be consistent throughout. You’ll want to use a font that differs from standard settings like Calibri and Times New Roman but don’t fall into the trap of using something overly stylish in order to stand out. Try something different but professional, like Arial, and keep it same size unless you’re typing out headings. Around 10-12 is normal for the main body, although you can afford to put the text in bold and go up a couple of points when typing sub-sections. Black text on a white background is always a must.
Format and design
You should always save your CV as a Microsoft Word document for one reason; it’s one of the easiest pieces of software to use. Virtually all of the other candidates going for your role will use Word and there’s no competitive advantage to be had in this area. PDF files are only useful if you’re presenting a document filled with graphs, tables and charts, which isn’t advised. In fact, it’s best to avoid using these fancy elements altogether. They detract from what your CV really is – a basic display of your qualifications and strengths.
Contact details
You should supply a full house address, an email address and a phone number for the company to get back to you. Always double check these details as a typo in your postcode or one wrong digit in your number could be the difference between landing a trial day and missing out altogether. Some employers are more than happy to chase up people they believe have made a mistake on their application. However, if there are more than enough people coming forward for the job, others will assess whether it’s really worth their time. You can insert this down the side of your CV, right down at the bottom or anywhere separate from the main body.
Check through
One way of guaranteeing that you won’t get the job is to hand over a CV that’s jam-packed with spelling mistakes. The spell checker on Microsoft Word just isn’t enough when you’re looking to land the perfect role. Your work is done when you know you’ve got a document that reads well throughout.
Use these tools to check your spelling and grammar before proof reading the document by yourself. Perhaps give yourself a 15 minute break after completing your CV before going through it word by word. Then run it by a friend, family member or anyone else with a decent grasp of English. To round things off, save the document in numerous places and always bring a copy with you into the interview room. At the very least this should allow you to have one last look over your notes during your commute. From there, it’s all about impressing the interviewer off the page…
Find out our latest CV advice by reading the new version of this guide – Writing your CV.
