The Best Ways to Add Value to Your CV While Studying

When looking for a job you want to find a role you feel suits you. As an employer, you want to find the best candidate that meets your ideal criteria. 

Looking for work requires having a CV that will catch the attention of a potential employer. But with hiring managers only spending an average of six to eight seconds looking at a CV, you want to find a way to make yours the one they stop and take longer to review. While you’re studying, you might be focused on your course. But thinking forward about your career is always a safe bet. 

In this article, we’ll go through some of the best ways to add unique value to your CV without taking too much time away from studying. That way, you can stand out from the crowd of applicants. 

Work experience & volunteering 

Studying for courses like finance degrees takes up large parts of your day as a student. This can be either through lectures in-person and online or through extra learning or assignments that happen outside of seminar rooms. Having a variety in your university activities can be beneficial. 

However, High Fliers Research found in their Graduate Market assessment that 50% of the employers who were contributing to the study stated they received fewer applications for work experience in 2022 compared to the previous year. Work experience may not sound like much, but this demonstrates to employers that you’re willing to get your foot in the door at ground level. There are also a lot of key skills that can be picked up from committing some time to it, including specialist skills if undertaken with an organisation in a specific industry. It doesn’t have to be nine-to-five, five days a week. Even a couple of hours a week for a month or two can be a huge bonus to your CV. 

Volunteering is another great way of adding some extra value to your CV while you’re studying. It can be even more flexible as a lot of charities and organisations will have several roles to fill. Similar to the Graduate Market research, the government’s Community Life Survey found that the percentage of school- and university-aged volunteers had dropped to 17% for the 2020/21 period. This drop in numbers could mean there is more of a chance of getting in the door for volunteering as there’re less applicants to compete against. 

Hobbies & extra-curriculars 

A big misconception about CVs is that you can only include professional and academic experience. This is not the case, and your hobbies can be a way to display your value to employers. 

This doesn’t mean to stick everything you’ve done in your spare time on there. But any hobbies you’ve achieved a qualification in or have relevant proficiency in are great to mention. It displays that you’ve picked up key skills from your involvement.  Whether it’s discipline from martial arts, leadership and communication experience from being a sports captain, or planning and time management skills from society event organising. 

Some examples of this are if you’ve taken a martial art like taekwondo or karate to black belt, been captain of a sports team, or in an organisational role within a society at university. The dedication to something you’ve got a passion for and willing to go that extra mile is a real highlight for potential employers. 

Personality & individuality 

The small amount of time employers spend reviewing a CV means you must not only capture their attention but also find a way to keep it. As well as streamlining your CV to best match what the advertised role is looking for, injecting some of your own personality into it can help. 

Highlighting ‘soft skills’ in your CV can help to inject personality into your academic and professional achievements. Showing your employer that you can bring something new to the role with your own traits could encourage them to further their interest in you. 

A CV is more than just your academic and professional achievements. It is a way to distinguish yourself among other candidates all fighting for the same roles and positions you are. If you can find free time in your busy schedule, you can take on some volunteering or work experience to boost your CV. Employers can see that you’re willing to put yourself out there to add to your skills and knowledge. Passion and enthusiasm go a long way and finding ways to add your personality into your CV can help you stand out even more.