1. Keep it short. – According to a recent study by TheLadders, recruiters spend on average about 6 seconds looking at your C.V. so it’s vital that the information that you present is concise.

2. Don’t include irrelevant information. – Your C.V. should emphasise skills and achievements that fit the job that you’re applying for. This can often be a problem if you’re trying to create a generic C.V. to be sent to a multitude of Architectural Practices without having to create different versions. When you are considering what work experience to include, don’t feel obligated to put any job down especially if you are just coming out of University as the fact that you worked at a fast food chain is unlikely to carry any weight with your architectural job prospects.

3. Don’t use too many graphics. – Choose 3 key images and style them in a similar way to the style the Architectural practice you are submitting to present their images. In your C.V. itself when stating how proficient you are with using Revit, Autocad, Photoshop and so on, avoid skills infographics that show percentages. Successful C.V.’s often just use a single colour to separate particular portions of the C.V. to make it easier to read and grab the readers attention.

4. Highlight skills relevant to the job. – It is vital that you highlight your relevant job skills. Clearly explain why the qualifications you have are a good fit for the job you are applying for. There are many skill sets within the Architectural profession and just because you have experience of large-scale commercial projects it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have the correct skills for small-scale domestic projects. Skills aren’t always transferable and if they are, it’s not always clear to whoever is reading your C.V.

5. Poor Grammar. – Your C.V. and supporting project portfolio should be error free. Don’t just rely on spell check as common mistakes like “their” versus “they’re” won’t be picked up. There is a free tool called Grammarly that checks for vocabulary and contextual spelling which is helpful and in addition to that, have someone proofread everything before you send it.