Writing Your CV
Your CV has one purpose – to get you an interview – so it’s important to spend time getting it right. Employers are looking for headlines, bullet points and impact and it’s vital that you tailor your CV to each different job emphasising the most relevant points for that particular role/company/industry and minimising other detail. If your CV is lengthy and too detailed an employer may not read to the end and miss important facts.
Consider carefully that what your CV contains and how it looks is a measure of you as a person and as a professional. It’s your opportunity to set yourself apart from all the other applicants and define the ‘added value’ an employer will get by giving you the job.
Your CV should include:
Personal Details – Name, contact information, license/transport details
Profile – 2-3 sentences maximum describing your character and strengths, which should be relevant to the role you’re applying for. Beware of making claims that you would find difficult to substantiate at interview.
Skills – IT/software packages, keyboard speeds, languages, etc. – if relevant. If you don’t have specialist skills then give transferable skills such as communication, organisation, planning, team skills, etc.
Achievements – Give examples of where you have added value to an employer, e.g. saving them money, making them more efficient, etc.
Employment History – Start with current/most recent and work backwards, giving start/end dates, company name, position held, duties and responsibilities.
Qualifications – Give dates, subjects and grades, plus any business training courses.
Listing hobbies and interests can work against you as it may give a reason for rejection and references should only be made available on request.
General points to consider when writing your CV:
Presentation – Keep it concise and easy to read. Use short, punchy statements and don’t use acronyms. Stick to one style and don’t use lots of different points, text sizes, colours or include previous company logos.
Spelling and Grammar – Double-check and ask someone else to check it too. This can’t be emphasised enough! Employers reject candidates with mistakes on their CVs on the basis that the lack of attention to detail shown is a reflection of how the person would perform in the job.
Education and Employment Dates – Check to ensure they match up and don’t overlap. Update your CV to include any training/educational courses you’ve attended recently and ensure it reflects your current situation (e.g. if you’ve already left your last job your employment history should not say ‘- to present’).
Explain any Gaps – to prevent concern about what you’ve been doing (e.g. bringing up a family/travelling, etc.).
Research the Company/Role – so that you can tailor your CV to match.
Don’t use Clichés – e.g. ‘I work well as an individual and as part of a team’. Instead, explain how you added value individually and/or as part of a team.
Quantify Statements – such as ‘I am a strong people person who achieved significant success/growth’, etc. How are you a strong people person? What specific success did you achieve? What was the growth?
Avoid using ‘We’ – Focus on successful projects and the contribution you made. Make frequent use of active verbs, for example: achieved, set up, managed, attained, responsible for, led.
Never, Ever, Lie – Whilst adding, omitting or exaggerating a point on your CV may not get you the job, being caught out in a lie will most definitely lose it for you!
