Preparing your CV

10 Aug Preparing your CV

The first impression you give a potential employer is with your CV.  It is your marketing document that describes why they need you as part of their organisation.  Your CV needs to interest and engage them.  Its primary purpose is to secure you an invitation to take part in their selection process.

The two most common formats are the Reverse Chronological CV and Skills Based CV.  You may decide to use a combination of the two formats, with page 1 covering your profile and skills and page 2 employment history, education and training.

Your CV Profile:

• Pay particular attention to your profile.
• Start with a short introductory statement summarising your experience followed by bullet points describing the skills, knowledge and achievements which are most relevant to the role
• Aim to have 6 – 8 bullet points
• Your goal is that after reading your profile the potential employer has already decided you have the skills and experience they are looking for and they want to meet you

When writing your CV:

• Remember it does not need to be an autobiography. In most cases we recommend keeping it to two pages of A4
• Use a variety of action words to describe your contribution to each organisation you have worked with
• Make sure that you always write in the same tense
• Include information that triggers discussion in your preferred areas of expertise
• Avoid documenting anything controversial or negative about yourself
• Ensure it is grammatically correct and contains no spelling mistakes
• Always ask someone else to proof-read it

Reverse Chronological CV

The format of a Chronological CV is illustrated below:

• You are aiming to arouse interest. Resist being too detailed, keep back what can be more appropriately discussed at an interview
• Take the time to really identify the main strengths you bring to an organisation, what is the skill set you are selling?
• Make your points separately. Do not combine non-connected achievements as you will only confuse the reader
• Career histories should be proportional, the most relevant / recent experience should carry the most weight. Work backwards starting with your most recent role
• Do not be afraid to let go of your past experiences. If it is suggested that you edit your CV ruthlessly, you are not being asked to abandon any of it
• A way of keeping your CV to two sides can be achieved by introducing an ‘Early Work Experience’ section for roles at the start of your career. Each job is summarised in one line, documenting job title, company and dates

Skills Based CV

The format of a Skills Based CV is illustrated below:

When deciding whether or not to design a Skills Based CV consider that:

• This format can be powerful if you have worked in a variety of different roles and want to use this to your advantage by showing how you have applied the same skill set in different roles
• It demonstrates effectively how you match the skills required for the role.  Refer to the advert and / or Person Specification and decide on the order and appropriateness of your skills, include a maximum of six skills

The advice given in the section on Reverse Chronological CVs also applies here.

Please get in touch if you need support preparing your CV or with any aspect of your job search contact Jan Gould:

jan@inspiring-growth.co.uk                  +447961 445 735