In recruitment, we're always dealing with CVs – but how do you write a good one?
Curriculum Vitae (CV) stands for life story. When you meet a new person you don't tell them everything that's ever happened to you – so why would you do the same with a prospective employer? Your CV should be a concise and relevant account of your skills and experiences.
A rule of thumb is to focus on the last five years of your work experience, unless you feel something else particularly relevant from before that time needs to be mentioned. So if you're talking about the part-time shop assistant job you had twenty years ago, use that space to write about your more recent endeavours.
Information to include when writing a CV
Personal Details – name, email, contact phone number and address
Personal Statement – optional, but a good opportunity to tell an employer about your suitability for the job
Work Experience – clearly list your job title, time in the post, responsibilities and the name of your organisation. Voluntary experience is also relevant to include
Education – all formal qualifications and any training and development undertaken
Hobbies and Interests – keep it brief, and relevant to the job you're applying for
Share how you went above and beyond
The devil is in the detail
Relying on your job title and organisation and a line or two from your job spec isn't enough to make you stand out, in the competition for jobs. Here's a common example of a line on someone's CV:
"Administered email marketing campaigns"
If you want to sound more impressive, add in a bit more detail so the recruiter can get a better understanding of what you did and what you're able to do. For example:
"Administered three weekly targeted email campaigns to a database of 46,000 subscribers"
See the improvement? We can go one step better – share how you went above and beyond. The more you can demonstrate this, the more impressed a hiring manager is likely to be. So now we have something like:
"Administered three weekly targeted email campaigns to a database of 46,000 subscribers, improving open rates by 25% over a three-month period by undertaking analytics of subject lines."
You might not have this amount of detail for every element of your work, but ensure you do use what you can, as it shows a good level of professionalism and will set you apart from other candidates.
A few notes on CV presentation
Keep your CV to a maximum of two sides of A4, and laid out in a logical order with your most recent and relevant experience first.
Choose a simple and professional font, and ensure there are no spelling errors or typos.
Ensure it includes your basic contact details so a prospective employer can get hold of you.
