Over the years* we have seen tens of thousands of CVs, some great, some mediocre and some… well not so good. As the New Year approaches maybe you’re one of the many seeking new exciting career challenges. If so, you might find our guide on creating a great CV useful.
1. Substance over style
We hate to break it to you, but spending hours finding or creating the perfect template is time wasted… Why? Most agencies and companies use software or manually copy and paste the key parts of your CV into their own template, so all of your fancy fonts and layouts will be redundant in seconds. It is far more important to work on the content.
2. Read the Job Description & focus on one application at a time
Obvious right? Well, in our experience, jobseekers often apply for multiple roles with the same CV and that becomes obvious within seconds. Our advice? Take the time to personalise each application you make. Yes, it is time-consuming, but you only have seconds to show a potential employer that you have the necessary skills and experience they’re seeking. Also, if your skillset doesn’t match at least 80% of the JD requirements, don’t apply.
3. Writing your CV
So, you’ve opened a Word doc… Now what? According to Google, you have 6-7 seconds to grab the reader’s attention – that isn’t long, so you need to focus on making your CV as concise as possible. To achieve this we suggest using the following headers:
Summary
We recommend you start with a summary of your experience and the applicable skills you possess that relate to the role you’re applying for. It should be no more than 150 words, but provide enough interest for the employer to want to learn more about you.
Key Skills
Next, list your Key Skills and ensure they align with the requirements of the role as set out in the job description. Try to keep the list to a maximum of 12.
Career Experience
Share details of your career to date, starting with your most recent role e.g.
Job title, Name of Employer, Dates of Employment
A brief overview of your role (max 30 words)
List of your achievements – Try to keep your list to a max of 10 and make it punchy
Managed a team of 10 and was responsible for their development
Controlled a budget of £10M
Grew online sales by 89%
Negotiated new terms with suppliers, delivering savings of 45%
Formulated & successfully implemented a new sales & marketing strategy
Defined & developed a new revenue stream
Repeat the above for each of your significant roles, but to avoid your CV becoming too long, list your earlier roles as follows: Job title, Employer, Dates of Employment. If there are any gaps in your CV it is a good idea to note them down e.g. Jan 2013 – Jan 2014: Travelled to Asia & Australia.
Education & Qualifications
Start with your most recent achievements and work backwards.
Degree
A Levels or equivalent
GCSEs or equivalent
Languages
If the job description doesn’t highlight additional languages as important/necessary list any you speak here, along with your proficiency. If it does, then include them in your Summary and Key Skills.
4. The proof is in the pudding
Our final tip might just be the most important… Ask a human to proofread your CV before you hit send! Yes, Grammarly and other AI tools are great, but a human touch is still vital and could make all the difference. Sometimes a simple tweak can make something good, great!
About us: *Expert Register was created in 2004 to help business owners find great people to fill permanent, interim and consultancy roles. We have helped hundreds of people and built strong relationships along the way. We work quietly, efficiently and with complete discretion. We take the time to speak to candidates before we ask them to submit a CV, that way we are able to ensure the quality of applicants meets the expectations of our clients and save candidates from applying for roles that are not suitable.
If you are seeking great candidates or searching for a new role, contact us
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