How to write a perfect CV
Perfect CV
Corinne Mills, author of How To Write A Brilliant CV (Trotman, £9.99), shares her expert CV writing tips:
What your CV should include…
- Your name and all contact details.
- Job history with employment dates.
- Educational record.
- Professional qualifications.
- Relevant skills, knowledge, training.
- Positive words, such as increased, promoted, implemented and achieved.
- Bullet points instead of sentences.
What your CV should not include…
- Your age, marital status or ethnicity.
- Religious or political affiliations.
- Disabilities or ill health. If it impacts on your work, you can explain in more detail in a letter.
- Reasons for leaving a job.
- A photo.
- Negative language – words such as mistake, problem, fault and nothing.
- Unusual fonts – they’re not always readable by recruitment databases.
Job details
“Don’t just list your job description,” says Corinne. “List your achievements in each position. Add figures if possible. For example, ‘Handled 200 calls each week’ or ‘Increased profits by 15 per cent’.”
How to fit the bill
“You’re not an obvious candidate for a job if you currently work in a different sector, so grab the employer’s attention early,” says Corinne. “List all relevant skills and achievements on the first page. Include any relevant outside-work activities and training. Then list your employment dates and job titles on the second page.”
Ditch the “I”
“‘I did this, then that’ can be clumsy,” says Corrine. “Use bullet points, starting with a verb instead. For example, ‘Achieved 100 per cent of my sales target.’ It sounds more dynamic.”
The age issue
Since the introduction of The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations Act in 2006, it has been unlawful to discriminate against candidates because of their age. “If you’re concerned that your lengthy work experience may belie your age, prioritise the last ten years then state, ‘Before that date, I worked in a variety of different roles, doing “x”.’ If you’re slightly older, it can be useful to include any sports or outdoor hobbies you enjoy because they show that you’re both fit and healthy!”
What the interviewer looks for
Vicki Gallagher, manager of recruitment at John Lewis says in a CV, she looks for:
- As a rule, no more than two sides. Only include skills and experience that fit the job description.
- List your bestselling point first. Make it clear what you can offer the company.
- Write a personal statement. Ideally, you’d talk about what you hope to gain from the role, your main qualities and skills, and how you see yourself fitting
into the role for which you’ve applied.
- Talk about what you’ve learnt. It’s useful to see what you’ve taken from various jobs and how they’ve helped you to develop.
