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CV Tips

Writing a CV can be a daunting task for anyone and many people fail to devote enough time towards making this document as strong as it should be. It is therefore important to remember that your CV is effectively your shop window. Interviews are unlikely to happen without a well constructed CV irrespective of how well you feel that you can perform at that interview.

Here are a few ideas that may help to make your CV stand out for all the right reasons.

  • How many pages? Traditionally, two pages of A4 is what people aim for but if you feel that you will have to omit important facts or achievements in order to achieve this, it’s better to have a third page. If you are a contractor or have an extensive career history then the CV could even extend to four pages although any more than this and it may be better to create two documents with one being a shorter, abridged version, and the longer, detailed CV available on request.
  • Keep it clear Ensure that the structure and layout of the CV allows the reader to easily see all of the information that they will be looking for. This means that it should to be as close to the start of the CV as possible to ensure that the reader is hooked on page one. If a hiring manager looking to recruit an individual into a specific position receives over 100 applications, they will not read every document in depth. Realistically, they will briefly scan the first page of each CV to shortlist approximately 12-15 for further reading. If your CV isn’t one of these, you won’t get an interview.
  • Make it look good This does not mean using decorative fonts or colours which are likely to appear unprofessional alongside other CVs but you should be aiming for strong, clear presentation. Use bullet points to make key information stand out and keep your sentences relatively short. Avoid filling up the page with lots of text as blank space around the borders or in between the different sections helps to make the text easier to read and absorb.
  • Would a Profile or Career Statement help? This has become increasingly popular over the last 5-10 years and can be very effective. A Profile or Career Statement is usually 2-3 sentences containing relevant adjectives to describe who you are professionally. It normally appears at the start of the CV so it is important to make your point quickly and get straight into the career history.
  • Reverse your career history Anyone looking to consider you for a position is likely to be most interested in your most recent role/s so make this/these appear early in the CV. Work backwards to retrace the steps of your career and remember that as a rule, the last 5 years are going to be the most interesting to an interviewer. Reduce the level of detail within your earlier career unless directly relevant to the role that you wish to be considered for.
  • Facts and figures Include them where possible. For every role outlined on your CV you should be looking to highlight your responsibilities, achievements and results. Tangible facts and figures should feature within the achievements although you may be asked for evidence to support this. As a minimum, be prepared to talk openly and extensively about the facts and figures at interview as impressive statements such as “improved profitability by 25% in year 1” will always be discussion points.
  • Use your information wisely Too many people approach CV writing determined to ensure that every single skill or capability is somehow included irrespective of whether it is actually relevant to any of the roles which they seek. If you do have experience of specific software packages, or you are fluent in three different languages, and it is likely to be of use within your next role then include this information.
  • Make it personal to you Most employers place a great deal of importance on ensuring a good cultural fit when recruiting. This is good news for the individual but it also makes good business sense to avoid disharmony within the team. Including brief information about your hobbies & interests will help to reveal the person behind the page.
  • Check for errors Always make sure that upon completion of your CV, you read the document thoroughly to check for spelling, typing, or grammatical errors as these will simply devalue the whole document. If possible, get another person to read it too as they may spot something that you have not. The spell check on your computer will be of use but don’t rely on this solely.
  • Always look to develop a CV further A good CV is never truly complete so keep revisiting it to make sure that it still does the job that you want it to and avoid the temptation to simply bring the CV up to date via an attached covering letter. A covering letter should always accompany your CV but it is better to use it to direct the reader towards specific areas of the CV. Whilst this does mean a little extra work updating the CV every now and again, it will be worth it when you secure that dream role!