Ten Top CV Writing Tips

The quality of your CV determines whether or not you secure an interview. Sometimes it will be the only reference point your prospective employer has to gauge your suitability. Therefore it's critical you maximise the opportunity to stand out from the crowd. Follow these ten tips to ensure your CV ends up on the shortlist.

1?? Keep it Concise

Managers only have limited time to review a CV, so excessively lengthy documents will end up in the "no" pile straight away. Limit your CV to two pages and be clever with your choice of words; say as much as possible with as few words as possible. For more senior-level or technical IT CVs, extending this to three pages is fine.

2?? Keep it Clear

Your CV should be laid out in a clean and visually pleasing way. Don't try to distinguish yourself by using funky formatting; you'll alienate a large section of your audience.

ATS systems play a key role in allowing recruiters to process large numbers of applications quickly. Therefore,?avoid the use of images, columns, tables and text boxes which can often prevent ATS from accurately scanning your CV. Elaborate fonts should also be avoided.

There are two classes of fonts: sans-serif and serif. Think of serif as “with tails” (and sans, without). Sans serif fonts are the most ideal for a CV. Examples of these include Arial, Tahoma and Verdana. Don't reduce the text size to the point of obscurity in an effort to fit more on the page – anything under 10-point could be too small.

3?? Personal Statement (or Introductory Profile)

This is your opening gambit and should sit at the top of your CV, immediately after your name and contact details. Don't make it too wordy; three to five sentences should be the maximum. Although it's a small section of your CV, it's the part that could make the biggest impression. Talk about who you are and what makes you great for the job. Shout about what you can do, not what you can't. Use positive language and sell yourself. A profile should communicate your record of achievement, experience level and value while intimating your immediate career goal.?Of all the sections of the CV, the profile is the most important because it gets read the most and sets the tone for the rest of the document.

4?? Skills, Competencies and Attributes

This can be a bullet-point list, but make sure you qualify each skill or attribute with a few words. Don't just say you have excellent communication skills; giving a one-line example of how you've recently demonstrated them will add credibility to your statement. List only relevant skills; being an experienced HTML programmer doesn't add weight to an application to work in a call centre.

5?? Employment History

List your employers in reverse chronological order (i.e., most recent first). Think carefully about what you write about each role; don't just copy the job description. Pick out the responsibilities and achievements that say the most about you. If you have gaps in your employment history, add a brief narrative to explain why. If you don't, recruiting managers will make their own assumptions, which are unlikely to be favourable.

6?? Achievements

Following on from point five; when writing your employment section, consider creating an “Achievements” section.?For senior-level CVs in particular, achievements are by far the most important part of your CV (and when done correctly, will target the position you seek, include all relative keywords, and showcase measurable employer benefits).?

7?? Academic History

Take care when listing your academic achievements. It may be sensible not to list failures or poor results, unless those qualifications have been specified as essential. Be cautious about listing a qualification without the grade you achieved; managers are likely to assume this indicates an undesirable result or that you didn't complete the course, and will disregard your CV.

8?? Interests

Don't waste space talking about your interests. All the areas described above give you ample opportunity to sell yourself. Too many CVs describe how applicants like reading, going to the gym or keeping bees; rarely does this add anything useful to your application. It could even count against you if your interests hint at less-desirable personality traits, such as being a risk-taker.

9?? Don't Lie

You'll be challenged and questioned during the interview on claims you make in your CV. If you make false statements about skills or qualifications, you are likely to be found out. Even if you aren't sprung at an interview, securing a job based on deception leaves you liable to immediate dismissal and taints your chances of finding future employment.

1??0?? Tailor to the job

There's no such thing as a generic CV - at least not a successful one. Working from a core document is fine, but you must tailor the content to the job you're applying for each time you use it. Don't waste space listing training courses or qualifications that bear no relevance to the vacancy. Likewise, don't list a cumbersome employment history that describes skills and responsibilities that are not transferable to the job at hand.

?If you follow these ten principles, you will build a winning CV, and your success rate will rocket. Dig out your old CV, review and revise it against these key areas, dust down your best threads and get ready for that interview!