Updating your CV: why, when, how?

Before getting down to the nitty-gritty of writing a CV, it's essential to understand that your CV is your entry card into a company, your technical file, the image of yourself that you leave with recruiters. 

5 benefits of updating your CV 

1. Create opportunities for yourself: a more detailed CV enables recruiters to spot it and offer more suitable professional opportunities; 
2. Show recruiters that you are in tune with the market; 
3. Raise your profile to the top of the list of CV data bases on job boards: at Moovijob.com, the first CVs to be visible to recruiters are the ones that have been updated most recently, and the others can then be found by searching for keywords; 
4. Take stock of your career and past experience; 
5. Display yourself by clearly formulating your job search in your CV heading. 

When should you update your CV? 

Writing a CV is not just an administrative task. It's an art, as the exercise is twofold: you need to make an impact in terms of both structure and content. Some people even think of standardising their paper and digital CVs, yet it is the combination of the two that constitutes your identity in the eyes of recruiters. A CV is not a fixed summary of data; it evolves as you do over time. 

Whether you have a job or are still a student, if there's one thing you need to remember to keep up to date, it's your CV. Updating it as you go along (with your certifications, job transfers, etc.) will save you time when you apply for a job, because you'll only need to orient your CV to the job offer you're targeting. 

The ultimate test to assess the accuracy of your CV 

If more than three statements in the following list apply to you, you're going to have to get back to work! 

• Your CV does not contain your email address or telephone number. (Warning: do not include your telephone number if you want to publish your CV on social networks). 
• Your CV does not contain your most recent professional experience. 
• Your CV does not state the length of time you have spent in different positions (no, recruiters don't like to do this kind of calculation). 
• Your CV still mentions your very first work placement, when you were a teenager. 
• Your CV contains whole sentences. 
• Your CV is so large that you've opted for a size 10 font. 
• Your contact email address is chouchou147@hotmail.com or littlerockstar@laposte.net. 
• Your photo is a selfie or a black and white holiday photo of poor quality. 
• Your CV does not contain the title of the position you are applying for, or your current position (e.g.: student, looking for an internship in HR). 
• Your CV does not include key words in bold that make it easier for the recruiter to read it quickly. 
• Your CV is 3 pages long. 
• Your skills are described as "proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Publisher and Outlook", instead of simply "proficiency in the Office package". 
• Your hobbies are "travel, cinema", and are too impersonal. 
• Your CV has never been sent to more than three people or to a professional for correction. 
• Your CV has more than 3 different colours. 
• Your CV is taken directly from your online profile (PDF of your LinkedIn profile, etc.). 
• Your CV does not detail your job assignments in bullet points. 
• Your CV presents your positions in an unrelated manner, over several pages.
• Your job assignments do not include the sector of activity of the organisations in which you have worked. 
• Your CV is not illustrated with any key figures or examples of your achievements. 
• The layout of your CV does not make it easy to find out who you are, what you have done, what you know how to do and what you have studied. 
• Your CV has no "My skills" section. 
• And finally... Your CV contains spelling mistakes or typos.  

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