CREATE THAT WINNING CV

 

Did you know that you have on average about 20 seconds to create a positive impression in the mind of a potential

employer / recruiter? 

That’s not long to convince someone to invite you along for an interview .  So, how do you ensure that your CV will jump that

all-important first hurdle and create a powerful lasting impression to boot?

 

Presenting a clear and concise document which encourages the reader to take a look at your skills, experience and key achievements

whilst not quite painting the whole story, will almost certainly leave them wanting to know more.

Whether you’re re-visiting an old version or starting from scratch, make sure your CV passes this Presentation checklist:

• Ideally,maximum 2 pages
• Best quality plain paper
• No smaller font size than 11 points
• Professional and “uncluttered” lay-out
• Bullet points to add clarity
• Avoid chunks of text – not so easy to digest
• Correct spelling and grammar – get someone else to proof-read it !
• Pay attention to dates of employment and study, avoiding gaps along the way. E.g Include Career break if you had one.

Content

When it comes to content, relevance is the key (as is honesty!) .  Remind yourself of the main messages you want to get across. 

Less is certainly more when you’re up against the clock !

If you’re returning to the workplace after some time, don’t underestimate the value of what you’ve been doing in the meantime. 

Consider your transferable skill base and any key voluntary responsibilities.

   

Use the following headlines as a sensible map for your CV content:

Personal Details:

Name

Contact address

Telephone / Mobile

Email

Profile / Key experience

This is a useful way of presenting your most valuable information upfront at the start of the CV.  Think of it as “Headline news”

that will encourage your reader to read on.

Keep it short and consider what your label is: eg  HR Manager with expertise in Policy Development and Recruitment gained within a

Professional Services  / Banking environment. 

Career / Employment Details (always in reverse chronological order)

So, having set the scene, this is where you need to make sure you’re truly selling yourself.

Here are our top tips to make sure you do just that:

 

• Focus on outcomes and achievements rather than responsibilities, so spend time brainstorming those glory moments and
•  good times.  It’s always useful to seek feedback from colleagues / ex-workmates as well.
• Use quantifiable language to help the reader get a sense of dimension in terms of your previous roles eg size of project team
• you’ve managed, budget responsibility etc
• Bullet-point achievements, using key verbs at the start to illustrate your actions eg Designed , Managed, Spearheaded, Introduced.

 

 Education and Training/Qualifications/Professional Development

• Consider what is most relevant in terms of additional training and qualifications you might bring with you.  If you got a
• handful of “O” levels under your belt back in the’80s, listing your subjects and grades won’t be  interesting to an employer today.
• Include any work-based training as well as development away from the workplace eg volunteer training, personal development courses    

 

Personal

A useful final section to include any other information such as:

Date of birth

Interests

Languages

Remember, you do have a choice as to what information you volunteer.  If you are going to mention interests, make sure you can talk

with enthusiasm about them ! Plus, this is also about impression – management.  What might your interests say about you ?

  

And that’s it !  You’re now on your way to having that all-important CV under wraps.  Ask someone to proofread the document and do

that 20 second test on them too.   Remember also to re-visit the CV each time you make an application to ensure that it’s focussed on

the particular position you’re applying for.  Simply changing the order of bullets under a previous role can have an impact.

 

Good luck with your job search !!