CV Basics: The 10 Key Elements of a Successful CV

The CV format that we use for our clients at Career Mentor was not chosen by chance. A few years ago, I worked with a brilliant young man who combined both intellect and commercial awareness. He was keen that Career Mentor provide a more comprehensive service to our clients and suggested that we introduce a CV Writing Service as part of our offering. He disappeared in the depths of the British Library for a few days, reading and synthesising the key insights from the top 10 best-selling CV writing books. This, combined with my experience in Headhunting and Executive Search, led to us creating our trusted CV format, which has been honed as the years have gone by.

With that in mind, here is a checklist of things to consider when writing a great CV, which I hope will help you when you are reviewing your existing CV.

1.     Current and up-to-date: Make sure that your CV is up-to-date and includes a summary of your most recent achievements – it should always be ‘ready to go’ after a brief polish. Often when you need your CV, you need it quickly so it is a good idea to keep refreshing it each year.

2.     It’s a sales document: It is important that everything is accurate and truthful. That being said, it should also be designed to allow the reader to understand the value that you can offer and gives evidence that you can indeed deliver on the promises you make.

3.     Keep it concise: It is not meant to be an exhaustive and complete history of your career to date – keep older roles brief, and remove anything that is irrelevant (e.g. your ‘personal interests’). There is also no need to include information such as your home address or nationality.

4.     Showcase Your Achievements: Your CV focuses on your achievements both individually and as part of a team – make sure you do not hide within what the team you were in achieved. Aim to explain the specifics of your contribution to the team achieving the final outcome.

5.     Be an achiever, not a doer: Use compelling language with relevant action words, without straying into clichés, tabloid hyperbole or jargon.

6.     Clear formatting: Make sure the CV is written and formatted in a way that will allow the reader – who may be scanning through it rapidly – to readily grasp the value that you offer.

7.     A to-the-point Professional Statement: Underneath your contact details, include a Professional Statement, alternatively known as a Professional Profile or Personal Statement. This paragraph should be around 6 sentences long and should spell out your skills and attributes. Ensure it is written in the third person with the pronoun removed.

8.     Reverse chronological structure: In most cases, the best format is a reverse chronological CV, with the Career History section starting with your most recent/current job. This section gives credence to what you have claimed in the Professional Statement.

9.     Don’t forget about your Education, Training and Qualifications: This section is important, especially if you can demonstrate that you have training or qualifications that are relevant to the job you are seeking. This is particularly key in more technical roles, where certain qualifications or certifications may be necessary.

10.  Progression and Growth: There should be a clear sense of progression and growth from the beginning of your career to the present day.

There is, of course, much more to writing a fantastic CV, but for the sake of brevity, those are the basics. Are there other models and formats? Of course. However, this is, on the whole, the approach we have found most successful for our clients who come from a range of sectors. It mirrors the most common CV structure, so the reader will know where to go to the find the information they are looking for.

You can find both our CV eBook and our Home Study Course available for purchase on our website. We also have a Professional CV and LinkedIn Profile Service, whereby our trained and experienced CV writers work with you to create CVs that maximise your chances of job search success. Please get in touch if you would like to learn more.