It is fair to say that I see and read more CVs than any of our client companies – that’s
obvious as it is part of the job. I thought I would just mention this, as I have a fairly
controversial opinion/theory:
I believe there is an inverse relationship between the seniority of the person and the
quality of their CV... as in: the more senior the person, the more embarrassing their
CV.
Obviously there are exceptions (and I’m sure that most of you who read this think, yes mine
is OK), but I’d say they are few and far between. I know that selling yourself is hard, however
so often it is easy to get the impression that the person has never put a great sales
presentation together or written a half-decent project report.
Here’s a quick list with the main offences:
Spelling mistakes or poor proof reading after using spell check – manager/manger,
achieved/acheived, are the most common.
Using non-existing terms – ‘EBIT profit’ isn’t actually a thing, it is either described as
profit or EBIT not both. All you’re demonstrating here is that you do not understand
what you’re talking about!
Sentences that do not make sense – ‘recognised internal talent by building a strong
senior team’. What?!
Disguising responsibilities as achievements – ‘restructured the team and hired two
external high flyers’. And?
Too long a CV. Sure the older and more experienced you are, the more difficult it
becomes to keep it to 2 pages, however 5 pages is really too long!
No contact details – do I need to say more? Just a mobile number and email address
will do, or if you want to push the boat out, include the town or city where you live.
Rant over. So what should you do, what should a CV look like?
Think about it, this really is a sales document that should persuade the reader to invite you
for a meeting, therefore it should be compelling. Chances are the recipient is hiring, and
probably ploughing through a pile of CVs, so it should be easy to read. Once read, the
reader should be able to remember 2-3 stand-out facts that will make them decide not to file
this in the circular filing cabinet.
My personal reference for a lay-out is this:
Name + contact details
Current company – one line to describe size and purpose/what do they do
Current position
Start date
2-3 responsibilities
3-4 achievements (the more specific the £ and % signs, the better)
Previous position
Start date and finish date
2-3 responsibilities
3-4 achievements (the more specific the £ and % signs, the better)
Previous company, etc
(The key here is that your achievements from over 10 years ago are not that much of
interest. Naming the company, position and one achievement is often enough for the jobs
you had before 2009.)
Education details – no, you don’t need to list your GCSE subjects and marks, neither you’re
A level subjects, although 3 A*s are impressive enough to warrant a mention.
Interests – particularly if there are any that give an indication of personality, eg. captain of the
local rugby team and coach for the under 10’s, or completed the London marathon in 2015,
or play the cello at grade 8 or work as a volunteer one night a month to help feed the
homeless.
Hot tips:
1. Try and let your personal attributes and qualities shine through, so that when you meet
the interviewer it feels like they already know you. The familiarity principle is a proven
success factor in advertising and it works in this scenario too!
2. Promote your USP, what is that you are known for in your current business? If it is of
value in your current business then it will be of value elsewhere.
3. If you are looking for an external promotion rather than a sideways move, then make
sure that the CV highlights the areas of your expertise and approach which
demonstrate you have the required aptitude and capability to operate at that level.
4. If it all just seem too much work, then engage a professional CV writing service,
however be aware, there are varying standards and quality levels. Let me know if I can
help you with this!
Good luck!
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