How To Write A Winning CV

 In general, my focus for my clients is how to get a career success mind set. However, I am often asked about how to write a winning CV, so I’ve been doing a bit of research.

There are several different schools of thought about this, and an infinite variety of books on the subject – many of which are rather prescriptive. The truth is that there’s very little good quality research on the subject. The research that is available indicates there is no set format that you ‘must’ follow. Success lies in other directions.

 Your CV Is A Sales Document – Personalisation And Size Matter

Like it or not, your CV is a sales document. You are trying to sell your particular blend of skills and experience to the best buyer. For this reason, you increase your chances of success if you tailor your CV to the job you are applying for, and the organisation you are sending it to. I’m not sure that there ever was a time when generic CVs really worked, but in today’s world, a generic CV is less likely to get you an interview than one where you have clearly thought about what your audience wants to hear. At the very least, it’s essential you customise your covering letter, so it’s obvious to the reader that you have written it specifically with them in mind.

Think of it this way. How do you feel when you get some piece of mail through your letter-box which starts ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ and has clearly been sent to all the people in your neighbourhood? Do you bother to read beyond the first line? And if they haven’t put your name on the envelope, do you even bother to open it?

If your CV is too long, the reader will probably give up on you. A two-pager is ideal. Three pages will probably be acceptable. At four pages, your CV is already way too long. Busy people don’t have time to read waffle, so a good CV conveys all the information it needs to clearly and concisely.

Keep a folder of CVs on your computer or a memory stick, clearly labeled, so that you can pull something out at short notice if an opportunity comes your way. I still have a range of CVs that I use for cutting and pasting if I am asked to tender for a project at short notice.

Pay Attention To The Little Things

Many CVs fail to hit the spot because the candidates haven’t paid attention to the bleedin’ obvious. For example, research cited on the University of Kent site indicated that applicants sending CVs and letters (and, presumably, application forms) without typos or spelling mistakes are 61% more likely to get a reply, and 26% more likely to get an interview. There really is no excuse these days. If you know you have difficulty with this, then get someone who is good at grammar and spelling to check it for you.

Two useful tools used by copywriters and authors are a dictionary and a thesaurus. If you’re using an on-line dictionary, or a word processing spell checker, make sure it uses relevant spelling protocol. For example, if you’re applying for a job in the UK, use a UK dictionary. The thesaurus will give you ideas for different words, so you don’t sound repetitive. Most good word processing tools have a thesaurus tool, and there are plenty available on-line.

Another statistic from the same research suggests that 60% of CVs are mailed to the wrong person. The solution to this one is to do your research properly. If you are sending off an unsolicited CV to an organisation, you will increase your chances of success if you send it to the person who is actually going to be interested.

Again, there is no excuse for getting this wrong these days. The internet is a fabulous resource for finding out about companies. The starting point is Google (or other search engines), but you can do Facebook searches, LinkedIn research, and searches on the Companies House database (for UK registered companies). If you live in or near a city with a good business reference library, there are excellent resources to be found there. Business libraries, professional or trade organisations, and academic institutions often have access to online directories which aren’t available to the general public.

Be Honest – But Don’t Underplay Your Talents

Women are awfully good at underplaying their talents. When I rewrite a CV for my career coaching clients their reaction is almost always: ‘Wow, that’s not me you’re talking about, this is a really impressive CV’, or, ‘Have I really done all that?’ Yet all I have done is taken what they have told me and structured it to highlight their achievements and skills. Most of us have accomplished much more than we think.

Even though I review and write CVs for others, I am still amazed when someone looks at my CV and tells me how impressive it is. I have simply told the truth, and I don’t see my own accomplishments as being particularly out-of-the ordinary. From this I have learned that what we think is ordinary about ourselves is extraordinary to others.

According to research conducted in 1994 http://coachingincareers.blogspot.co.uk (I did say there isn’t that much research available on this subject!), employers don’t necessarily base their recruitment decisions on skills and experience, even though they think they do.

This study found that they actually decided on the basis of ‘extra-curricular activities’ – i.e. hobbies and interests. The decision-making process tends to be more subjective where the recruiter only has a CV and covering letter to look at, which is one reason why HR departments in large organisations often favour the competence-based application form.

 

Format and Organisation

As the University of Kent careers site says, ‘If your CV is written backwards on pink polkadot paper and it gives you regular interviews, it’s a good CV! The bottom line is that if it’s producing results don’t change it too much but if it’s not, keep changing it until it does’. (University of Kent site:)

A recent YouTube hit was the video of Matthew Epstein, a young guy who wanted to get a job with Google. He created a video about himself, which he thought would appeal. Professionally shot, it used lots of video ‘tricks’, and was both clever and entertaining. It also got over 1 million hitsand a lot of job offers (although not, apparently from Google).

If you’re not going down Matthew Epstein’s route, then here are a few formatting tips for a conventional CV. Firstly, use a legible typeface: in general, avoid Chalkduster or Comic Sans or other fonts that look like handwriting. Verdana, Times New Roman, Tahoma and Arial all work. 12 point is a good size, and with Verdana you can easily go down to 11 point, or even 10 point, because it is so clear and easy to read.

If you are sending your CV out electronically, for example as a pdf attachment to an email, then be aware that you need to present your information differently if it is likely to be read on screen. Paragraphs need to be short and punchy, and it helps to break the text up with bullets and sub-headings.

Start with a your key contact details. As a minimum, your name, phone number, email address and postal address. You could also include your nationality, particularly if it gives you working status in the country where you want to work. Employers will generally favour candidates who have the right to work, so if you have that right you may as well put it up there at the top of the CV.

It’s a good idea to make the first paragraph a summary or personal statement. Personally I prefer a summary, but that’s all it is, a personal preference. Your summary is an excellent place to tailor your CV to your audience, even if you don’t change anything else. Make the summary relevant and interesting: it may be the only part of your CV the employer bothers to read.

There are a number of different ways you can organise the information. Typically, people present the information chronologically. If you choose this approach, start with your most recent job first. You can also group your experiences to highlight different skills sets. For example, my CV has headings like ‘Coaching Experience’, ‘HR Consultancy’, ‘Training and Research’, ‘Sales and Marketing’ and ‘Management and Project Management’.

In general, put your qualifications after your experience. Research has shown that employers are much less interested in qualifications than they are in experience. In fact some research suggests that there is an inverse relationship between number and level of qualifications and the likelihood of getting invited to interview: the more qualifications you have, the less likely it is that you will be invited to interview!

The older you get, and the more qualified and experienced you become, the less important your school grades. Now I’m in my 50s with 5 degrees, I don’t bother to mention my GCSE O level and A level subject and grades. However, if the ability to speak Spanish was important for a job, I would probably mention that I have GCSE Spanish as evidence that I have some command of the language.

All the CV-writing experts agree that it’s important to avoid general statements like ‘I am good with people’, unless you have clear evidence to support your assertions. If you are putting general statements into your Summary, you either need to rephrase them so they are not run-of-the-mill clichés, and/or give an example to prove your claims.

Persistence Pays Off

Research by Forum 3 suggested that there is a direct link between the number of CVs a person sends out (so the number of applications they make) and the number of interviews they get. On average it can take as many as 25 application letters to get an interview.

Graduates can expect to send out about 70 letters when looking for their first graduate job to get about 7 responses. That’s a 10% response rate, which most marketers would say was good. Of those 7, only 3 or 4 are likely to offer an interview or further contact.

So the bottom line is, you need to be persistent and patient.

You might also consider using the services of a recruitment agent. Most recruitment agents charge the employer, not the job-hunter, and a good recruitment agent will give you good advice, and check your CV over.

Choose a recruitment consultant who has a good track record in your chosen field. If you don’t yet have a chosen field or a clear career direction, then a recruitment consultant may not be the best person to help you.