A good online portfolio with links to current and recent projects makes a strong statement when applying for web developer jobs and this, alongside a professional-looking CV, will improve a candidate’s position considerably. Deciding on a format is the first step, although a flexible approach will help tailor the layout to the skills and qualifications required by the employer.
Formatting tips.
Above all else a CV must have a clean and clear appearance and be easy to read, so it is worth considering alignment. Some people like to use justified text, although this can be difficult with lines of very different length. Line spacing is also important as a cluttered document will not look attractive. A line spacing of 1.5 is generally easier to read than a single space between lines. Headings should be in bold text to delineate different sections and an easy to read font such as Arial, Futura or Helvetica, should be used.
The basics: what to include.
- Personal details
- Personal statement
- Main skills
- Experience
- Education and training
At the top of the CV, the web developer’s name, contact details and a link to their portfolio should be prominent. A slightly larger font size is often used here, perhaps 14 or 16 rather than 12.
Next, a personal statement should be made detailing key skills, qualifications and experience, and this should be tailored to suit the particular web developer jobs for which the CV is being devised. Two or three sentences are usually sufficient for this section.
The main skills section can be presented under a series of sub-headings to help break up the text, for example Technical Skills, Additional Skills, Customer Relationship Skills (if this is relevant), and Personal Qualities.
Experience can be presented in such a way as to reflect whether the candidate has had a solid track record in one or more permanent jobs, or whether they have been operating on a freelance basis and thus have a series of projects to explain. Reverse chronological format (last or current job first) is useful for the former, while a bulleted list explaining the top five projects is useful for a freelance web developer.
Education and training should include all the relevant qualifications. Most employers look for web developers who have had some formal training alongside appropriate industry experience. Educational establishments attended, subjects studied and dates should be included.
Watch our tech recruiter's top CV writing tip here:
Highlighting skills.
Explaining the impact that past work has had is an effective way to get the attention of the employer and to demonstrate knowledge of what they will be seeking in a successful candidate. It does no harm to stress the financial benefits of web development work when describing experience and how it provides added business value, by increasing traffic to a site, improving page views per visit, reducing costs, etc.
Personal interests can be included on a CV, as long as this is kept to a brief paragraph. Care should be taken when deciding whether to include contact details on social media sites as most employers now check these for additional background on candidates. In any case, it is important to make sure that any posts, pictures or links that appear there are something you would want a prospective employer to see. If not, they should be removed.
