New Year, New Job = New CV?

For many the New Year will be the time they start looking for a new role, and for most job seekers sooner or later there is going to be the need to submit a CV. If you are going to invest time in applying, then it makes sense to get your CV ready to do the leg work for you.

So, what are Recruiters and more importantly Hiring Managers looking for when they are reviewing a CV? What information is essential, what is nice to include and what is irrelevant? It’s fair to say you are likely to get different answers from different people, but I’ve detailed below my initial thoughts:-

Personal Information

Stick with name, and relevant contact information

Who cares if you are married or not, who needs your NI number, and who cares where you live? Make sure you share a phone number, and email address which you don’t mind being contacted on. If you are applying externally then I’d recommend using your personal email address in applications.

Location is an interesting point, I have seen managers raise questions about a candidate declaring they live 100 miles away. I’ve always challenged location assumptions from the Hiring Community; with the increase in hybrid / remote working then location should be less relevant. Even if an office presence is required, how does a hiring manager know what is or isn’t possible for a particular candidate? Pragmatically I’d remove my location details from a CV, but if I lived in the location where the role was based then I’d be tempted to stick it back on.

Profile

LinkedIn & CV Profile, is it relevant?

Does your LinkedIn profile stand out? Is the LinkedIn photo suitable? Do your key skills stand out? It’s worth sense checking.

This article is predominantly about CVs, so what about the 5 - 8-line summary at the top of your CV? I think a strong statement can make a real difference, avoid ‘generic’ statements and highlight relevant key achievements and professional interests. If you are applying for a sales job then make sure your statement references your sales achievements, if it is a supplier management role then highlight when you have worked really effectively with key suppliers. Make it relevant for the skills & experience the employer is looking for, check the role spec before submitting! I would consider altering the statement for each application.

Career History

But I’ve got 25 years of work, and 10 roles to detail!

I’ve seen requests for 2-page CVs, and whilst I don’t think 3 pages is excessive it is worth focusing on what roles are relevant to detail in your CV and thinking about how far back you should go.

Every year I refresh my CV and with 25 years post university working experience I took the 2 page challenge, and succeeded! By doing this I realised that my graduate role in 1997 is not that relevant to my next career move. For recent relevant roles I think it is helpful to clearly be able to see on the CV:-

·??????Job Title – Company – Dates Employed

·??????2 to 3 lines summary of the role

·??????5-8 bullet points detailing key responsibilities and achievements.

·??????Reason for Leaving / Reason for Looking to Leave.

Ok, ‘Reason for Leaving’ may be controversial but I think it is helpful. Often, it’s a question a hiring manager will ask, so it’s useful to pre-empt the question. When I started in recruitment 20 years ago, frequent job changes were definitely frowned upon. We live in a different world now but even so I think a reason for leaving can be helpful. If the roles have been interim / contract positions then that is definitely worth highlighting. If you have progressed within a company then that achievement is essential to highlight; to me that is a real gold star on a CV.

Qualifications

?Make them relevant, what about a future intention to study?

I’m not sure my business degree is that relevant now, but it shows I have reached a certain level of academic studies so for the moment it stays! Some roles require professional qualifications, so if appropriate make sure qualifications / additional studies in those areas are highlighted. I’ve also seen a couple of ‘intention to study’ references recently, and I quite like that. It shows a commitment to a particular career path, and demonstrates a willingness to learn. Practical experience + Professional Qualifications is a great combination!

Personal Interests & Hobbies

Only share what you don’t mind being in the public domain!

If you are struggling to squeeze everything onto 2 or 3 pages, then this may be an area to leave off. Most people’s interests can shine a positive light on their character; an obvious example is that a sporty / active interest may subconsciously highlight ‘good health / team work’ to the reviewer. Or perhaps you volunteer locally, or are a school governor? Again, additional experiences that can give the reviewer a favourable impression.

How snazzy should a CV be?

KEEP IT SIMPLE, KEEP IT CLEAR, KEEP IT RELEVANT!

For most applications’ ‘simplicity’ is the way forward, however if you are applying for a creative role then perhaps a traditional CV is not the most effective way to showcase your talent. Most applications are viewed online, but it might be worth printing off your CV to check how easy a hard copy version is to read. Some colours look great on a screen, but not so great when printed. There are some great free templates on line, so if you are starting from scratch do a quick search of ‘CV Template’.

Ultimately your CV is your publicity document, you need to feel comfortable with how it reads and how it represents you. It's worth taking some advice, but you have the final call.

I hope those tips are helpful, I could have mentioned more but like my CV I wanted to keep it relevant and to the point!