6 tips for writing a CV to impress

It is National Careers Week and yesterday, our lovely HR Manager, Shauna, shared her top tips to ace a job interview. It inspired me to write this article because a question I am often asked by family and friends is “Do you have any advice for writing a good CV?”.

As Marketing Manager for a manufacturer of MDF mouldings, I’m not going to pretend to be a recruitment expert, but I have hired for various roles in the past and there are some basic tips I have learned over the years that I believe others could benefit from.?So, whether you are starting out on your career journey, or if you are considering a change of scenery, here are my top tips for writing a CV to impress.

1.????Tailor your CV to the role or company you are applying for

This may seem obvious, but you would be surprised at how many generic CVs people submit when responding to job adverts, and in my opinion, it is the most important piece of advice.?I understand this may be time consuming, especially if you are applying for multiple jobs, but putting in that extra bit of effort beforehand could be the difference between getting to interview stage or not. Work through the essential and desirable criteria listed in the job description and make sure you have included relevant skills or experience in your CV to meet these requirements.?It may make it easier to write them in a separate list and tick them off one by one as you cover them.

2.????Include a personal statement

Place it at the top of the first page under your name and contact details. This is a short paragraph to explain to your prospective employer why they should hire you over other candidates.?Again, those essential and desirable criteria listed in the job description are key here.?Summarise the specific passions, skills and experience that make you perfect for the role. Does the position require you to be a critical thinker, to be creative, to offer excellent customer service, to be analytical or to have good time management? Then include that you possess these skills here.?If the recruiter asks for a specific qualification such as a CIM diploma or an ACA qualification, don’t wait until the education section to tell them you hit the mark – shout it from the rooftops in your personal statement.

To give you some context, if the role you are applying for is in high demand, the recruiter could receive tens of hundreds of CVs and will most likely have to go through a shortlisting process before the interview stage.?This involves using a checklist for all essential and desirable criteria and only selecting those applicants who meet at least all the essential criteria (this brings me back to tip number 1 as to why it is so important to tailor your CV).?If the recruiter has to read through 3 or 4 pages of information to find out if you meet the requirements of the role, it can be a lengthy process and you are immediately creating a good first impression by making it easy for them and having this information at the beginning of your CV.

3.????Keep it concise

Your personal statement shouldn’t be much longer than 5 lines.?It isn’t the same as the cover letter and its purpose is to allow the recruiter to quickly understand why you are the right candidate to consider for the position. You can elaborate on key points in the work experience section. The rest of your CV should use this principle too.?Keep asking yourself: “Is it relevant for the role?” “Will it benefit me to include it?” Bullet point your work experience and keep it relevant to the role you are applying for (essential and desirable criteria!). Don’t list all your subjects in school unless this has been specified in the job description (or if it is your first job then you may want to bulk up your CV). You can save space by listing the number of exams instead e.g. 3 A-Levels, grades A-C, or 10 GCSEs, grades A-C including B in Maths and English.

4.????Choose hobbies and interests that demonstrate your passion and skills

We’ve all done it.?I remember those early CVs filling my interests and hobbies section up with ‘Member of the school choir’, ‘Play piano’, ‘Enjoy cooking’, ‘Love the outdoors’, etc. without thinking about what they are telling the recruiter about me. Are they making them think “Wow, this candidate is perfect for the job”? The likely answer is no, so that space could be used more wisely.

For example, if the role requires team working and communication skills then listing a hobby such as volunteering, playing a team sport or being part of an orchestra, choir or dance troupe would demonstrate that you regularly use these skills.?You could even go one step further if you have the space and briefly explain how the hobby helps you with a certain skill outlined in the job description. In much the same way, being a marathon participant could demonstrate perseverance and drive, blogging or journaling shows a passion for creative writing if you are applying for a content or marketing role and an interest in photography may indicate good attention to detail and creativity. It is important to include hobbies and interests as it allows the recruiter to see a bit of your personality, but give them some thought before you start listing so you don’t waste a valuable opportunity.

5.????Write a captivating cover letter

This is not somewhere to repeat what you have written in your personal statement or CV.?This is your opportunity to really make an impact on a prospective employer and I can’t stress this enough… do your research!? Visit the company website and make a note of everything you like about what they do.?Why do you want this job??Why do you want to work for the company??Get personal.?Do the company values align with yours? Does their passion for protecting the planet impress you? Does the launch of their new product excite you? Tell them and then explain why you believe you have the perfect skills match for the job and why you could make a difference.?This isn’t the time to be shy or humble – sell yourself.

6.????Get creative

Having worked in marketing for 16 years, I have sifted through my fair share of job applications and the ones I remember are those that looked that little bit different.?If you and others have passed the shortlisting stage of meeting all the essential criteria, making your CV stand out in a sea of job applications can give you the edge.?I always remember a “thinking outside the box” story from Steven Bartlett when an applicant had an owl fly into the SocialChain office, land on Steven’s arm and deliver their CV on a USB stick.?Unfortunately, they didn’t get the job, but they did get an interview and their idea has been mentioned publicly by Steven on several occasions as being one of his most memorable CV submissions. Check out these creative applications for inspiration.

Let me know if you found these tips useful.?I’m sure others in my network will have many more tips to add, but hopefully this is a good start. What are your best tips for writing a CV to impress?

When you get to the interview stage, have a look at Shauna’s post sharing her top tips to ace that interview on the SAM LinkedIn page.

#nationalcareersweek #jobapplication #recruitment