Writing a better CV
Things
to know about a CV / Resume / Profile
Did you
know that around 85% of CVs, don't do the job of conveying exactly what roles the
candidate is suitable for? Take a long hard look at your CV and turn it into a document
that works. Make sure that it says exactly what you do and always remember two things
1)
The object of your CV is to make sure that you secure an interview
of your choice.
2)
It also serves
as a prompting tool during the interview.
A better
way to present oneself is tell the story from today - and go backwards. This is
reverse chronological order. Use employer names, dates and the functional title
that you accomplished along with skills you utilised. There could be a disparity
between your present title and your true job content. Eg:
You may have been called the "Global IT Manager", but if your job
was actually doing 2nd & 3rd line support for a branch, 50-man business - make
up a title that's appropriate in terms of the overall organisational structure and
your job content.
Structure
your CV with plenty of white space. Don't use 5mm margins and tiny font sizes. Think
about business documents - they have plenty of headings, bullet points and white
space. Copy what works.
How many pages should my CV be?
As long
as it needs to be. DO NOT be constrained by the 2 page CV that has evolved in society.
There are examples of 8 point Time
Roman font, squeezed onto 2 pages. Terrible.
Our analysis
have shown that the average length of most technical CVs is 4-5 pages. Additionally,
the agency will add 2 more pages in the form of cover sheets and "consultant notes".
Clients therefore, are used to skimming quite large documents (remember the bullet
points to keep it simple?).
Sometimes,
the 2-page CV may be suitable. Particularly for senior management applying to a
Sunday Times advertised role. But in that case, often the Senior Recruiter would
present your details to the client attaching interviewer notes. Outplacement companies
insist on 2-page CVs even for technical managers. Why? Nobody knows the answer.
Top ten tips
1.
No colour please - this is a business document
2.
Use a font size that works well "on screen"
3.
Be consistent where you use Bold and Underline
4.
Leave a proper margin
5.
Leave some room for reviewer comments
6.
Using email ? Think about your subject line and email body text
7.
Copy your contact details into the email body text
8.
Save as Rich Text Format
9.
Don't use text boxes
10.
Spell check everything - and ask someone to proof read
For further information, contact us.