Writing your own CV can cause a headache, so I thought I’d share my A to Z of hints, tips and tricks of the trade to make your task easier. Happy writing!
A is for Achievements.
Make your career achievements SMART wherever possible – Specific, Measurable, Action Orientated, Realistic and Time-Based – detailing for example the amount of money you saved, the size of budget you handled, the number of clients you served, over what specific time period and with what benefit to the organisation as a whole. For instance, it’s easy to state you have experience in sales, but employers will take more note if you say you were responsible for a 10% growth in overall sales over a six month period.
B is for the Basics.
Check, check and check again for spelling, grammar and punctuation. Don’t rely just on spell check, as this will not pick up real words which have been used in error (for example man instead of main). A CV with these basic errors can ruin your chances of selection, making it easy for another candidate with similar skills and a word perfect CV to be picked over and above you.
C is for Curriculum Vitae.
The abbreviation CV stands for Curriculum Vitae and the plural is Curricula Vitae, although this term is often misspelled as Curriculum Vita or even Curiculum Vitae. Some people call their version of this document a résumé, which is a French word meaning “summary.” The phrase Curriculum Vitae is a Latin term for “course of life”. A Curriculum Vitae in today’s world is defined as “a summary of your academic and work history” however, at Giraffe CVs we see your CV as your personal marketing tool which demonstrates your skills, experience and achievements in an easy to read document.
D is for Details.
Avoid including irrelevant details such as your height, weight, date of birth, gender, marital status, primary school education, religious affiliation or sexual orientation.
E is for Email.
Consider replacing your email address with something more grown up if your current one is silly, wacky or just plain inappropriate. It’s important to give a professional impression from the outset.
F is for (F) or Fail.
My advice is actually not to include qualification grades on your CV. You will give a better impression of your academic qualifications by simply stating you have 3 A Levels rather than A Level History (C), A Level English (D) and A Level Geography (E). At this stage your target is to be asked to an interview. You need the reader to be interested enough to want to meet you, and as such it is important that your CV does not rule you out.
I often find this with Bachelor degrees: recruiters may make the decision to cull their enormous pile of CV applications by ditching those with a lower second class degree (2:2) or Desmond as it is sometimes affectionately known. The exceptions to this rule would be if all of your grades are consistently fantastic or if you have been specifically asked to include your grades by your target employer.
G is for Gap Year.
If you are a recent graduate who has taken time out before throwing themselves headlong into their career, this experience needs to be presented in an appropriate manner on your CV. If you worked during this time, whether in a paid or unpaid capacity, then you should highlight the experience and transferrable skills you gained through this experience. Give precise details of the organisation you worked for, your role, dates of employment and relevant achievements. Later in your career, a gap year can be line itemised, as with other earlier work experience, since more recent and heavyweight experience takes precedence.
H is for Housewife.
Finding a new job can seem like a daunting and even overwhelming prospect when you have taken a short or extended career break to raise your family. In our experience, a lack of self confidence is the biggest single hurdle in achieving new employment after a career break. Many of our customers who are returning to work after a break no longer believe in their own abilities and find it hard to see what they can offer to a new employer. It is easy to get bogged down in explaining away several years out of the workplace, focusing on making excuses rather than drawing out the positive.
Although you have had a period away from paid employment, your short or long term absence from work is likely to have changed you as a person, adding to your overall life experience. Whether you have opted out of paid employment in order to raise your family, taken maternity leave to have a baby, been made redundant or taken a career sabbatical to pursue other interests, there is no reason to feel guilty or attempt to cover up your absence from work. Consider the transferable knowledge and experience you have developed during a career break which would be appealing to a potential employer. Desirable workplace competencies such as organisation, administrative skills, marketing, fundraising, event organisation and team work can be developed through voluntary roles, personal projects, travel experiences and outside interests.
I is for Irrelevant Information.
Leave off any irrelevant awards and achievements, listing everything can make candidates seem immature. Leaving some detail off your CV gives you new information to add at an interview.
J is for Job Titles.
If your job title is very specialised or specific to your organisation, consider using a more generic and recognisable job title on your CV. Many recruiters are scanning CVs using specialist software which picks up on certain keywords, so it is important to reference those keywords. At Giraffe CVs we make sure your CV is looked at rather than overlooked.
K is for Karate.
Should you include hobbies and interests on your CV? If you are a school leaver, recent graduate or young professional who needs a bit of ‘padding’ to enhance your CV, then maybe. If you have a lot more experience under your belt, then hobbies and interests should only be referenced if they are relevant to your career or if they add a genuine ‘interest’ factor to your CV. I recently worked on a CV for someone who was a keen photographer, and this was featured under Additional Information referencing an up to date online portfolio of his work.
L is for LinkedIn.
Once you have a CV you are proud of, consider uploading it to LinkedIn. Using social and business networking tools in the right way can help you maximise your exposure when searching for a new role. Headhunters, recruiters and internal HR Managers all use LinkedIn to source quality candidates. Include a concise and interesting overview of your career to date and preferred future direction and you may be surprised at the responses you get. Your existing contacts may be unaware of your background and skill base – once they read what you have to offer they may be able to help directly with your job search or pass your details on to someone who can assist. A well written profile which uses relevant key phrases will ensure key organisations are able to find your details through their searches, giving you access to a wide range of job opportunities. In addition, employers are now using networking sites such as LinkedIn to find out more information about individuals before recruiting them.
M is for Motivation.
If you are just starting your career journey, recruiters will be keen to understand what drives you to pursue your chosen career. Make sure your CV conveys your passion and interest for the area you plan to work in. This can be illustrated through your elected degree modules, work placements, voluntary work and other interests. Demonstrate your motivation by detailing any key experience which has developed and used the skills which will be relevant to your desired job.
N is for Name.
Should you use your abbreviated name on a CV, for example Nick rather than Nicholas? I advise using your professional moniker, the name that you are most comfortable with in the workplace. Whether it’s the long or short version, as long as you are consistent it won’t matter. As a general rule of thumb, leave middle names out though, it just adds something else to read, something else to remember.
O is for Objective.
Including an objective can sometimes be limiting on a speculative CV, in that it may rule you out for opportunities in wider roles or fields. However, if you have a structured career path or are certain about your career goals then it can add focus to your CV. If you are going to include an objective on your CV then it should come after the profile. Outline in one or two lines your objective for applying to the target organisation in the context of your overall career ambitions, skills and experience.
P is for Profile.
Include a targeted, concise and well written profile to illustrate your skills, experience and future potential to prospective employers. This paragraph should sum you up as an individual, detailing what you have to offer and what motivates you within your chosen career. Your profile should make it easy for employers to see what your main selling points and experience are.
Q is for Questions.
Try to anticipate questions you may be asked about your specific roles and achievements within an interview context. This exercise may actually help you to edit a lengthy CV to the required two pages as you can assess what needs to be included to whet the reader’s appetite and what detail you could add at interview to showcase your experience and expertise.
R is for Reasons for leaving previous employment.
Don’t include reasons for leaving any of your previous jobs in your CV. Although honesty is the best policy, you should leave explaining this until you are asked. This information doesn’t add anything to your CV, it can come across negatively and can take up valuable space which you could be using to sell your key attributes.
S is for Salutation.
Beginning your cover letter with Dear Sir, Dear Madam or — worst of all — Dear Sir or Madam tells the recipient that you did not care enough to find out his or her name. It only takes a phone call or a quick Internet search to get the name of the person to whom you are writing. Don’t miss the opportunity to make your first impression a positive one. Get the name and spell it right.
If you are going to start your cover letter with Dear Sir / Madam remember to sign the letter ‘yours faithfully’ as you can only be sincere if you know the person’s name!
T is for Typeface.
Use black type and an easily legible simple font like Arial, Tahoma or Verdana on your CV, they are easier to read than the old fashioned or wacky alternatives.
U is for Unfinished Courses.
Clients often ask whether they should include incomplete courses or qualifications on their CV. The answer is sometimes yes
and sometimes no. By omitting several years of your life history you can leave a telling gap, sometimes it’s best to outline simply and clearly that you studied two out of the three years of your degree course and be ready to explain what happened at interview. In many cases, an individual’s consequent professional experience is much more valuable to employers than an unfinished qualification. Don’t necessarily feel that you should try to edge this experience under the carpet. Honesty is the best policy, and this experience is part of your life’s rich tapestry.
V is for Voluntary Work.
Any work experience (paid or unpaid) will boost your CV if it is of interest to a potential employer. You can use voluntary experience to illustrate transferrable skills which will be useful to your target employer, even if it is not directly relevant to your chosen field. Within each role try to illustrate key competencies such as customer service, team work, communication and interpersonal skills, organisation, time management and the ability to learn quickly and work hard. Your CV will be more compelling if you can evidence your claims with specific examples of what you did and the benefits of your actions.
Something to consider: you can break your experience down into relevant and other work experience, with relevant experience featuring first on your CV.
W is for We.
Some people have a tendency towards expressing their achievements within a group context. Your CV is not the right place for this behaviour. Your CV is your place to shine, for your skills, qualities and individual achievements. So please don’t credit others on your CV, just state what you have personally achieved, truthfully, clearly and succinctly.
X is for XXXXXX
Try not to leave information gaps that leave readers guessing.
Y is for Yellow.
Don’t use yellow paper when printing your CV. Or pink, or striped or spotted. Print and present your CV on two sheets of high quality 100gsm white or off-white paper.
Z is for ZZZZZZZZZZ.
Remember your CV is your personal sales brochure – it should be easy to read, interesting, and memorable. Your most relevant experience, qualifications and skills must feature on page one of your CV. The harsh reality is that it is likely to end up in the bin if it does not grab the reader’s attention within the first few seconds.
Lis McGuire
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