CV Preparation
CV preparation - the production of an effective CV
A CV is not a job history or an autobiography, it is a sales brochure about you. A CV is often the first opportunity you have of making a positive or negative impression on a prospective manager or employer.
It is not designed to get you a job but to get you an interview. Whether it achieves this end depends very much on the content, the layout and the language you use. You must successfully translate your
background, relevance, experience and future potential into a format that illustrates what you have achieved and what you have to offer. A well written and produced CV should clearly spell out
- What you are
- What you have achieved
- What type of work you can do
- How well qualified you are for the position you are seeking
CV's need to
- Impress the reader.
- Be eye-catching, easy to read and interesting (but not gimmicky).
- Be brief, to the point and well organised.
- Include only relevant information, but in sufficient detail (e.g. job titles alone are often misleading).
- Be concise - no more than three pages in length.
- Illustrate the point you want to get over and say it clearly.
- Put the key information early on, the first few words of a sentence are most powerful.
- Highlight your achievements and accomplishments, and explain where your personal contribution lies within team environments. Include only relevant information, but in sufficient detail Generally speaking the more significant and more recent the material you insert in this section the better. However, you will need to use your judgement as to what to include.
- Use simple words but avoid repetition. Choose a style and the language that best expresses your level of authority and scope of responsibility.
- Use direct action words such as "directed", "developed", "wrote", "recommended" etc. This gives you credit for the deed and strengthens the material you present.
- Restrict paragraphs to four or five lines. Leave a space between paragraphs: this divides each subject, allowing the reader to take in more information quickly. When you were responsible for something important, say so. If a project would have failed but for your actions or ideas, say so - you are entitled to accept credit for that part of its success.
- State facts not opinions, e.g. "Revenue from Consultancy rose from £100k to £500k" rather than just "I was a highly successful Consultancy Manager". Quantify your level of responsibility and your achievements.
- Create a balanced and accurate picture of you and your aspirations. For example, if you have years of experience in a technical capacity, but now want to move to become a consultant, make sure your work achievements include evidence of consultant-like behaviour.
- Know your CV - interviewers are always impressed by fluency and detail. Remember, it is essential that the final version is attractive, convincing and contains no mistakes - writing G++ instead of C++ will do you no favours!
Many employers regard a well-organised and fluent CV as an indicator of a high calibre candidate who can analyse and present data in a relevant and effective manner - exactly the skills
they are seeking for top positions!
Specific sections should include
1. Name, personal details, address and contact numbers
2. Education, qualifications and recognition awards
This section lists your externally-recognised qualifications - it benchmarks the quality of your work and your ability against others in an objective way and indicates the trained and professional competence
that you can offer. Company or divisional awards also show outstanding contribution and should be included.
3. Professional and technical skills
List the skills which you can deliver reliably: your knowledge of specific hardware, operating systems, databases, networking, programming languages, standard methodologies and tools should all be included.
4. Experience sought
Completing the 'Experience Sought' section allows you to indicate your preferred next career step. If this is into a new function (e.g. to project management from technical), you should have already gained
some knowledge of the new area either through attending a relevant course, or by spending time working in that area. Avoid a 'Catch 22' situation for future positions; the next role should be building
upon your past experiences.
5. Profile
A short, clear description of you and your main qualities should catch the reader's attention, e.g. "Senior Programmer with strong analytical skills and extensive experience of diverse industries gained in
professional and commercial organisations".
6. Career history
Taking them in reverse order (i.e. most recent first), give details listing the dates, positions held and employers' names (or self-employed status). In each case, briefly mention the main responsibilities you held,
technical and managerial and, if appropriate, any promotions during the period.
7. Major work achievements
Identifying past achievements is an effective means of saying what you can do best and what kind of projects you could contribute to.
Recall responsibilities and state specifically what you did and with what effect:
- Describe the situation as you found it.
- Explain what you did about it.
- Detail the specific benefits to the business, e.g. profits, new procedures, improved morale, quantify whenever possible.
- List your achievement statements so that you start with the most recent: eight well-chosen ones, four or five of which have happened in the last two or three years, will be more informative about your current capabilities than ones that go back five or more years.
8. Business application areas
Even if you have only dealt with one industry, you may have worked with users or clients in several different business functions (e.g. sales, personnel, finance, MIS). Each has its own priorities,
processes and vocabulary and should be mentioned. If you have had experience of several different applications within a business function, include them.
9. International experience and languages
Mention any relevant international experience ( e.g. courses, standards committees, project implementation, customer or supplier liaison).
10. Interests
Talk specifically about genuine interests and activities as you will invariably be questioned about them. Be prepared to give tangible examples which clearly demonstrate your active involvement and
display elements of your true character, such as your ability to work well in a team and/or on your own and under your own initiative.
11. References
Provide two referees, preferably your current/most recent employer (with guidelines around contact details) and the employer prior to this.
If you have already produced and sent us a CV, these notes should prove helpful when updating it and increasing its effectiveness. Always ensure we have your most relevant and up-to-date version.