Web Developers are in high demand, especially within the Digital Media space, and even though you may not judge a book by its cover, hiring managers will certainly judge potential employees by their CV. So with hundreds of applicants filtering in, how can you make your Web Developer CV stand out from the crowd?

Do's:

1) A portfolio with links to your projects is the perfect way to show off your work. If a hiring manager looks at up to 10 CVs per day yet only 2 or 3 have links to a portfolio, you already have an advantage above the rest. Some companies will instantly reject Web Developers without a portfolio. After all, employers can tell much more about your abilities from having a browse of your website than you could ever put into your CV.

2) More and more companies are taking into consideration academic qualifications when making new hires, therefore any Computer Science related degrees or A-Levels should be clearly visible at the start of your CV before your work history

3) A clear breakdown of your key technologies is important. Obviously as a Web Developer, we would expect to see HTML, CSS and Javascript listed as your main skills but it is highly recommended to list any of the latest and emerging technologies that you have gained exposure too such as HTML5, CSS3, Nodejs, Knockoutjs and Backbonejs

4) Hiring managers will want to see your full work history in chronological order. This should include the company, dates, role, full details of the projects that you worked on and key achievements within each position. If you come from a contracting background, a few bullet points for each role should be sufficient, however for permanent roles, it needs to be much more in depth.

5) Finally, any professional qualifications that you have studied for in your own time or events that you have attended, highlighting your passion for your chosen career, can only help with any application. 

Don'ts:

1) A long list of every single technology that you’ve ever come across, whether it is commercially, during your studies, something you’ve read about or even just heard about. Employers are looking for specific skills and by listing irrelevant technologies will only dilute the important information and the last thing you want to appear as is Jack of all trades, master of none!

2) Different fonts, text sizes and bad formatting. This may sounds like an obvious one but you would be surprised at the amount of CVs I see that don’t flow throughout.

3) Never exaggerate or lie about your skillset – ever. Remember if it’s on your CV, be prepared to be asked about it at interview stage.

 

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