Never before in the field of hiring has so much rested on something so misunderstood. CVs are important. Perhaps too important?
Hiring managers, you can’t always expect to see everything you’d like to see about your perfect candidate on a CV, and this is compounded by the fact that the styles and quality of CVs massively vary, which is no surprise given job-seekers are given so much conflicting advice.
So, in the world according to CST, what should a CV look like?
1. Qualifications & credentials
Do Include all relevant industry qualifications.
That Blue Peter badge might have gotten you a special mention in the school assembly, but it might not be relevant to include it on your CV.
Don’t Tell us about Blue Peter badges or swimming certificates when you were aged 9 – honestly, hiring managers aren’t interested. Keep it recent and relevant to your career. The exception to this might be if you’re in a leadership/managerial role and you have a hobby where you’re in a senior position using the same skills.
2. A relevant profile
Do Give an overview of how your career has got to this point and what you want for it next.
Don’t Fill your profile with buzzwords like ‘I’m really passionate’, ‘team-player’, ‘results-oriented’ or ‘able-to-work-off-own-initiative’. They’ve been used so much that they almost don’t mean anything anymore. Far better to offer examples and quantify results.
3. Evidence your achievements
Do Think like a Buyer. Buyers, in my experience, write the best CVs without any advice. I have a theory on this – it’s because they’re wired to talk about how a product or service adds value and making and saving money.
Every job in every business exists to make or save money – if it doesn’t it won’t exist for very long.
Ideally, you want a highlight reel of achievements and accomplishments detailing what the problem was, what you did to solve it, what the results were for the company in pounds and pence and so, how you added value. If you have a mate who works in buying, it might be well worth a chat with them about this…
Don’t Make statements without evidence. Saying something like ‘I worked on a great project’ tells the reader nothing. Try including details on what the project delivered for the business, the team you led/were a part of and how your involvement was integral to its success.
4. Employment history
Do Start with your most recent role and work in reverse chronological order.
Don’t Start your CV with your first-ever job. No one likes reading a CV that starts in the 70s or 80s and then having to scroll through 40 years of your career to get to your recent roles, which will have the more pertinent experience.
5. Get the right level of detail
Do Detail (briefly) your current role responsibilities with an overview of the project(s), its scope and your involvement in it.
Don’t Be too broad in your description of your experience. For example, if you are on a major project, don’t just put ‘QS on a £500m scheme’; what was it specifically that were you responsible for?
6. Gaps on your CV
Do Briefly provide explanations for gaps in your employment.
Don’t Leave blank time periods. If there’s a gap, for all we know you could’ve been at His Majesty’s leisure!
7. Match your collars and cuffs
Social Media is not always the best space for you to share controversial views or unsavoury escapades if you’re interested in being taken seriously.
Do Ensure any CV you send out matches up with your LinkedIn profile in terms of current job title, employment history and dates.
Don’t Think that what you do and say online has no impact in terms of how employers view you. Increasingly, people are looking at LinkedIn and non-professional profiles of candidates as part of their screening processes so THINK about what you post.
The test is this: would you be happy to discuss it in a job interview? If you wouldn’t, don’t post it.
8. Size matters
Don’t get yourself in a tizzy over the length of the CV. How long should it be? Well, the real answer is: as long as it needs to be.
I’m not a fan of one-page CVs. I think it’s unrealistic to convey all the necessary information in a coherent way.
As a rough guide I’d say that for early/mid-career people 2 – 3 pages and for senior people 4 – 5 pages.
9. Structure
As a guide, work to the below order to structure your CV as follows:
- Qualifications and credentials
- Overview
- Achievements
- Career History
A well-written CV will definitely help you stand out from the crowd – believe me, I’ve seen enough bad ones to know.
If you want help with your CV or any other career advice, get in touch for a confidential conversation.
