How to Write a CV That Works

Posted on: May 25, 2014

There is no such thing as a standard example of a good CV. A CV is only good if it worksif it
fulfils its purpose of marketing your skills and expertise. If you are receiving calls and emails
because recruiters/employers have seen your CV, then you have a good CV that works for you.

A CV should provide a summary of your expertise and evidence of your achievements. The
reader wants to understand what you have to offer a future employer and this should leap off the
page. Too often recruiters are presented with exhaustive bullet-pointed lists of everything a
candidate has ever done in their career. Or a list of responsibilities cut and pasted from a job
description. In order to be filtered through to interview stage, applicants are expected to focus
on their relevant achievements and expertise. CVs dont even include the words curriculum
vitae (which means courses of life) on the first line of the document anymore; now the
candidates name is the title for the document.

We asked leading career coach and CV expert Zena Everett, of Second Careers, for her advice
on what should be in the CV that works

Before you start typing

Congratulations! You are reading this on a job board so obviously understand that this is a digital
age with high volumes of applications to compete against. CVs have to be optimised with key
words. They must be relevant to the jobs you are applying for, not generic documents. This is
one of the major weaknesses in unsuccessful applications.

So, before you start drafting your CV, find some suitable jobs to apply for. Ask yourself if I was
filtering through applications for these roles what would my screening criteria be? Highlight
the key words and phrases that the recruiter is asking for. Now draft your CV as described below,
incorporating the same or very similar key words and phrases. Go into specific detail only about
skills that are relevant to the role and provide examples of where you have successfully used
these skills in the past. This is explained in more detail in the career history section, below. First,
lets look at the overall design of the document.

The look of the CV

Use a standard word template, lots of white space with a clean look. In a standard font, type size
no smaller than 11. Two pages please. Maximum two and a half. Any more and the recruiter will
assume that you cant summarise information. Recruiters are most interested in what you have
done most recently they will scan the second page and dont want to see lots of detail. If they
want to know more about your previous jobs they can ask you at the interview.
Save it as your name and as a standard attachment so it can easily be emailed to recruiters.

Lets look now at each component of the contemporary CV in the order they usually appear.

Personal details

Name and address: Make sure your address includes the first four digits of your post-code.
Otherwise, your CV will be invisible if it is posted on job boards like this one and recruiters are
searching its database. They start with a geographical restriction (eg 25 miles of IG10) in order to
filter relevant CVs.

Telephone numbers: You probably only need a mobile number. Put a personal voicemail on there,
not just the factory setting. Recruiters like to hear your professional telephone manner and know
they are leaving messages for the right person. If you are including a home number then ensure
that other family members answer appropriately and pass on messages.

Email address: Use a professional one; keep a jokey account name for personal use.

Date of birth: Dont include this.

Nationality: Not necessary to put anything unless it is obvious that you are applying from outside
the UK/Europe in which case you might want to include information about your eligibility to
work here eg Nationality: Indian, Tier 1 (Post-Study Work) Migrant, eligible to work in the UK
for 2 years.

Photo: Dont include one unless it is relevant to the job and you are asked to do so.

Marital status: Why is this relevant? No need to include.

Personal statement section

This statement or profile section at the beginning of the CV should state what you have done in
the past, what you want to do next and the skills that bridge the two. It should sum up the whole
document and explain to the reader why your application is relevant to them. Keep it simple and
specific. Remember that you are competing against many other candidates so this section should
explain what makes you stand out. The rest of the document provides evidence of this. When you
have drafted it ask yourself if this has addressed the needs of the Recruiter. Does it explain what
you have to offer them and what you are looking for as a next career move? Avoid
unsubstantiated opinions of yourself and statements like dynamic self-starter looking to
contribute in a challenging environment. Use specific statements like HR Manager with seven
years public sector experience specialising in employee negotiations, now re-locating to
Edinburgh.

Career history
For each of your jobs, include the company name and address, your job title and dates of
employment (including the months as well as the year). Start with the most recent job first.

You might want to put a line of detail about the company. If you were employed by XZA
Industries a recruiter may not know who they are. So, you could say UK and Asia Pacific
based toy manufacturing business, employing 350 staff across 11 offices

You might also want to add in a line about your broad remit and who you reported to, to explain
the context of the role.

Reported to the Chief Operating Officer and held P & L responsibility for driving sales of 7
million across the organisation

Reported to the Catering Manager and responsible for serving over 150 customers a day

Describe your career history in terms of achievements

For each job, and particularly for the most recent roles, include three or four bullet pointed
achievements. Demonstrate what makes you stand out from other applicants. Remember to use
the same or similar key words and phrases from the advertisement.

Here are some prompts to help you remember your previous achievements:

What have you done over and above your job description?

Where have you gone the extra mile?

Where have you demonstrated flexibility, creative thinking or innovation?

What projects have you been involved in and what was your contribution to the outcome?

What legacy have you left behind?

What problems did you solve?

What did the team/business look like when you left compared to when you started and
what part did you play in that?

For example, if you are a PA, then dont list all the duties you perform in your role the recruiter
knows what a PA does. Describe your achievements that contribute to your expertise: did you
organise the annual conference, make complicated travel arrangements, manage a budget for the
Christmas party, write a webpage etc? This is the information that makes you stand out.

Include facts and figures

Costs, commercials, percentage improvements, key performance indicators met, targets met,
costs saved, etc. Increased sales turnover by 42% against a target of 35%, which made us the
highest performer out of 7 teams is much more effective than excellent sales management
skills Be mindful of not revealing confidential company information.

Make every word count

Think why I am telling them this? If it isnt relevant to the role you want next then dont waste
space telling them. Works well in a team is implicit if you have had a successful career
working as a team member. You dont need to spell it out. Do we need to know that you have a
clean driving licence?

Education

The why am I telling them this rule applies here as well. Do you really need to put your GCSE
results if you have a degree? If you are a Finance Director do I need your Maths O level results?
Most people put their education after their career history, but if your education or professional
qualifications are crucial to the jobs you are applying for you may choose to put education and
training before your career history. Remember, there is no right or wrong way its what works
best for you. Wherever you put your education, most recent qualification should come first.

Hobbies and interests

Only include this section if it is relevant to the reader. Do they need to know that you like
reading science fiction? If your hobby is fundraising for a local charity this may reflect the skills
you need in your new role, so include it. Similarly, impressive results on the sports field may
impress some employers. You may have extra-curricular activities or voluntary experience that
relates to the field you want to move in to.

References

It is fairly obvious that they are available upon request, so this section is now superfluous and
can be missed out.

Finally check for typos

Spell check the document. Then read it from left to right and right to left. Then get someone else
to check it. You would be flabbergasted how many mangers send in their CVs!