Writing a CV can be a long and tedious task; deciding what potential employers really want to see and what you should include. And there’s no one right answer! Depending on where you are in your career and how long your career has been will change what you should and shouldn’t include. However, there are a few factors that should be consistent, regardless of your position or level you are applying to. A CV is the single greatest tool in your job search.
I have had clients in the past say to me “I hope the candidate is as good as their CV looks”. A good CV can have a client excited about you before you’ve even met with them. A CV is the first glance a client sees of you, it’s the first impression and it’s something you have complete control over. Spend extra time making your CV look great!
Personal Profile – Facts, facts, facts! Do not start your CV saying you are hardworking, punctual and work great in a team. These are very subjective words and therefore do not hold much weighting. Employers want a factual summary of you, for example: A Civil Engineering graduate with 5 years experience working as a Project Engineer within a Rail environment. Something that is unique to you and factual. An employer will often know within the first line of your CV if you are likely to be a suitable candidate for them and if they aren’t sure, they might not even read on.
Headers – There is no right or wrong answer to what headers you should or shouldn’t include in your CV. A short, precise personal profile at the top giving a summary of yourself is always recommended. Your highest level of education should always be listed (Masters, Degree, HNC) with the University/College you attended, grades achieved, dates and a short description of your modules. Any additional qualifications that are relevant could also be listed here. If you are a graduate, you may choose to expand the education section out more. Work experience should always be the bulk of your CV as this is what clients are looking at. Elaborate on your most recent positions. Skills/Achievements, Interests and References can be a nice addition but you don’t need to list too much here.
Keywords - Use keywords throughout. For example, if you have used Revit every day over the last 10 years, in your last 3 positions, list it on all the jobs. Multiple times. Repetition can be good as it shows employers you have used it… repeatedly. Don’t just list it as an extra at the bottom of your CV. List what projects you have used it on and how you have used it. Don’t just state you have experience using it.
Professional - Be consistent throughout as this makes your CV look professional and shows you take a pride in your work. List the job titles, companies you have worked for and dates. Use a sensible font and the same text size throughout, unless it is headings; text should all be one colour and don’t forget to grammar and spell check. Bullet points can be good to make your CV easier to follow; it will also encourage you to keep your CV precise. A good looking, well-formatted CV can make you stand out and makes a great first impression without even reading anything.
Reverse Chronological Order – This is very basic but experience should be listed in reverse chronological order with your most recent experience listed first. Your most recent positions should be the bulk of your CV as clients want to know what you have done recently and not read 5 paragraphs about the paper round you did for 3 weeks back in the 90s.
Be Prepared To Talk Through Everything - If you have listed something on your CV, always be prepared to talk about it. If you don’t want to talk about when you used to play Quidditch when you were 12 years old, don’t include it on your CV! Clients can ask questions about any part of your CV and you should always be expecting them to in an interview.
Length of your CV – They say you should aim to make your CV around 2 pages, and this is a good target. However, if you have had a long career history and have worked on hundreds of different projects, don’t be afraid to make your CV slightly longer. Clients don’t tend to read your CV from top to bottom anyway, they will skip to the parts that interest them. Be sure to include enough detail, putting focus on your most recent experience; the projects you have worked on and what your role was on those projects. If you have a short career history, don’t be worried if your CV is slightly shorter. Don’t enlarge or reduce the text size just to make it fit.
You should always update your CV as you go along, especially if you have been in your current job for a long time. This ensures you are less likely to miss projects or important information out and you can just touch up your CV when you start looking.
Employees don’t often actively look for new positions but instead opt to keep an eye on the market in case a better position comes along. If your CV is already up to date, you’re much more likely to put yourself forward to better job opportunities. If you have the monotonous task of updating your CV before applying to another role, you’re much more likely to use this excuse to stay in your current role and potentially miss out on career changing opportunities!
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