Five Ways to Get Around Potential Issues on Your CV

1. Overcoming No Degree
If you don’t have a degree concentrate on what you do have and emphasise your practical skills and experience. Job seekers without degrees often assume that their lack of formal education will mean limited career choices. In many cases experience far supersedes qualifications. If you are applying for a role that requires a degree, write a cover letter to explain why your experiences should be considered as an alternative.

2. You’ve Been “Job-Hopping”
Too many jobs on a CV often puts employers off, so if you’ve changed jobs over a short space of time, a functional CV highlighting your skills and expertise may get you through the door. Focus attention on the skills you’ve achieved through your experience and only give details of your most recent and relevant positions.

3. Gaps in Your Employment History
Many people have gaps in their work history. If you have a legitimate reason for major gaps e.g. going to school or having a child, you can simply state this on your CV. Minor gaps such as being out of work for several months, don’t need an explanation. If you refer to the years you were employed then any gap of several months is not apparent at all. If the gaps include voluntary work or relevant experience e.g. travel then put these down as part of your skills, qualifications and achievements. If you have been out of work for a while, you might want to create a functional (skills based) CV so those gaps aren’t as noticeable.

4. Overcoming Lack of Experience
It’s very rare for an employer to find someone who can do the job from day one. They are looking for transferable skills such as attention to detail, communication skills and managing people and budgets. Focus on identifying these and show how you have demonstrated them at school, university or through internships. Include a personal profile to give a clear picture of your main strengths, while emphasizing the direction you hope your career will take.

5. Changing Careers
A career change does require some justification on your part, so that it makes sense to an employer. You could include a career objective at the start of your CV to make your new direction clear and pick out the skills and achievements that are most relevant to your new career. Or you could highlight your new career objectives in your cover letter. Do some work experience or job shadowing as it shows employers that you are committed to a new field.

In Conclusion
You need to think about which CV format highlights your strengths. If you are a solid candidate, with a strong academic background and a consistent career history, then a chronological CV will work better for you. If you don’t have a strong academic record or you have had gaps in your career history the functional CV format will suit you best as it will highlight your skills rather than your experience.

By: Nikki R N

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