Eight pointers for sharpening up your CV
Your CV is important and many recruiters will take less than 1 minute to decide if your CV is worth further consideration, On top of that, organisations will be may huge numbers of applications in a tough and highly competitive job market due to the economic impact of coronavirus. So what do you need for a great CV? Here are our eight tips:
Be relevant. Do your research, go beyond the basic job description and look at the organisation’s values, mission and any recent news items or outputs. Tailor your CV and ensure the experience and achievements you are communicating are relevant, demonstrating both that you have done your homeworking and that you will add value.
Keep the tone and language fresh and on-point. Avoid overused expressions such as ‘passionate’, ‘team player’ and ‘track-record’. Also beware of repeating the same words - look for synonyms and ‘elegant variations’ that work. Think hard about what you most need to get across – what were you accountable for? What did you achieve? What was your purpose?
Keep it short. Concision can be difficult (Mark Twain once said “I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead”), but it’s vital in CV-writing. Be concise and edit out details that are not relevant to the role. The general rule is no more than two pages, although this can differ dependent on the sector and seniority of the role. Keeping to two pages will also demonstrate your clear thinking and focus - even if it starts out longer, set yourself a task to be ruthless at editing it down and you will often end up something much more satisfying and presentable.
Mind the details. Make your CV appealing– no typos, spelling or grammatical mistakes. Spellcheck is a start, but a human eye is better - get someone you trust to look at it, as even the best of us can struggle to proofread our our handiwork.
Make it easy on the eye. Look and feel are important - think about the font you use, headings, section order and overall presentation. Make sure their attention is drawn to what you most need to highlight. Use an online template if you’re not comfortable starting form scratch.
To hobby, or not to hobby? This is up to you and what you think is right for the opportunity. If you do decide to include any non-work interests, be selective and make sure they say something positive about you.
Don’t overclaim. This is sometimes a difficult balance. For example, it’s okay to centre your own contribution to a team effort in your personal narrative, as the employer wants to hear about your specific achievements and skills, but don’t claim anything that you can’t back up.
Is a CV even necessary? There is growing use of video CVs, especially for creative roles and values driven organisations. If you are asked to send in a clip about yourself, many of the points above can still be relevant. But you must think of them verbally and visually and practise, practise, practise!