Although it may seem old-fashioned, a good, well-formatted CV is still an essential tool for any Software Engineers and Developers who are looking for a new role.
As a 'Senior Consultant - IT / Tech' for Nigel Wright Recruitment who specialises in finding & matching the best software, web & app developers with great businesses & organisations across the North of England & Teesside, I can tell you that all our clients ask us to send them CVs for potential candidates that they use to decide whether they will invite them to a 1st stage interview or not. We send our own additional notes along with the CV that are taken during an initial phone call but here are some tips that will help you stand out from the rest and increase your chances of being invited to interview.
- Include your full contact details (name, address, telephone, email address, phone number and LinkedIn profile) to make it easy for someone like me (or a hiring manager) to get in touch. (Better still if you can include the best times of the day to be contacted).
- Include a short paragraph at the top summarising who you are, your experience so far and reasons for looking for a new role (i.e. learning & growth opportunities, to work on newer technology, to mentor, lead or manage others, more flexible working)
- Next on your CV should be your employment history with your most recent role listed first. For each role, include the name of the organisation, your job title, the dates you worked for them and then a summary of your role, the work you did and any achievements you made. Don’t just include a bullet point list of coding languages or technologies you worked on. Give them some context and a brief summary of your involvement and importance.
- Once you have listed all your employment history, a paragraph or bullet point list of coding languages, tools and technologies you are skilled and experienced in would be helpful. Even better if you have examples of your code publicly available on a GitHub account or online portfolio, especially if you are a more junior / less experienced developer.
- Your educational history should come next, including any relevant courses your have completed at work or in your spare time.
- Below this, a short paragraph about you as a person could be useful but is often just a waste of space and can sometimes work against you. Don’t feel obliged to include something here unless you think it makes you stand out or are particularly proud of it.
- Finally, include the contact details for two people who would give you a great reference or recommendation for your work if you can. Alternatively, you can write something like ‘References are available upon request.’
I’d encourage everyone to update their CV or resume at least every 6-12 months and be prepared to tailor it slightly in response to job descriptions for specific roles. If you are looking for a new role, ‘Good Luck’ and feel free to get in touch if you’re open to opportunities in the North of England by emailing me at [email protected]
Paul Lancaster (Senior Consultant - IT / Tech, Nigel Wright Recruitment)