?????????????? ???????? ?????? ????/???????????? - Are you confident with the content?

Writing your own CV is like decorating your home or landscaping your garden. You either have a natural flair and ability for these things or through constant practice you improve enough for it to look half-decent. But then there are people who no matter how much they try and despite the numerous funds and hours they invest, they cannot seem to get it right or to the level they envisage it to be. Or, they simply don't have the capacity to attempt it.

Of course, there are professionals out there who could do the work to a better standard, usually in less time. But.... it will cost you, and with some larger organisations, quite a sizable amount.

I often hear people say they're great at explaining what they do for a job and how they do it when interviewing. But the problem then comes to putting that down onto paper. You won't make it to an interview if you can't convince the Recruiter or Hiring Manager reading your CV that you possess the correct skills or that you're the right person for the role. You need to convey are clear and concise message that you are the person they're looking for, all whilst keeping your CV to under 2 pages. (In most circumstances)

As an experienced Recruiter and CV Writer I thought I'd share my top tips to writing your own CV if you are attempting to update your own during the current pandemic.

?? ????????????????/?????????????? ?????????????????????? - Keep it simple

What to include:

? Tom Hanks | Chelsea, London, SW3 | 07890123456 | www.linkedin/com/in/mr-tom-hanks/

What to avoid:

? Date of Birth | Marital Status | Health Status | Smoker/Non-Smoker | Blood Type | Star Sign | Height | Weight | (YES, I've seen all of these!)

?? ???????????????? ?????????????? - Keep it to one paragraph or two short ones

? Example: A highly proactive, results-focused and diligent Retail Manager with over 18 years’ experience in spearheading stores and employees to deliver exceptional results, business growth and service to customers and clients. Possessing a meticulous eye for identifying market trends and buying patterns then implementing strategic sales plans to formulate highly effective in-store sales, merchandising strategies & world class service levels. Embeds effective performance management models and targeted training programmes to drive both service & productivity levels.

Be careful with your choice of words - Enthusiastic, Driven, Motivated, Committed, Passionate, Hard Working - I've witnessed first hand seeing these words appear on 99% of all personal summaries, they really don't have any impact nor sell yourself. Change Driven for Proactive, Motivated for Results Focused & Hard Working for Diligent to give you a few examples. Don't make it a timeline or short story of your career up to present day. Readers will lose interests. Tell them what you are good at, why you are good at it and what has made you successful in previous roles.

?? ???????????? ?????????????? - Don't waffle, condense responsibilities down and highlight achievements/deliverables. Don't take up a further 2 pages talking "War & Peace" about a job you did for 9 months back in 2008 or a going into detail about a role you did in 2012 which isn't even relevant to your current career path now. Summarise jobs past 2012/13 into a new section called "EARLY CAREER". Just highlight - Dates of Employment, Company Name, Job Title. Chances are 99% of Recruiters/Hiring Managers will know the business and what your role responsibilities were.

?Example: Reporting to the Sales Director and collaborating with editors, events team, production team to drive revenue growth for this print, digital and events B2B Media company. Leading sales growth for the IT/Tech and Education sectors partnering with all Universities across the Midlands as well as Accountants, Wealth Management, and Corporate Finance clients.

• Building new relationships through networking and cold calling to generate interest across multiple markets. 
• Leading sales business-wide, including creating and executing go-to-market sales strategies for B2B products.
• Securing strong levels of client retention through nurturing core business relationships and maximising account yield.
• Driving business transformation initiatives, identifying and exploiting opportunities to deliver efficiencies and increased performance across all customer touch points.
• Scrutinising current sales and business development processes and sales plans, looking for ways to streamline, transform and implement effective new methodologies that support the business with achieving its business goals.

? Don't just copy your duties and role responsibilities from your job description in your contract. Recruiters and Hiring Managers will already know pretty much 99% of what your job title entails. Show them what you've achieved in this position, how you've grown in your role and how you've added value to your team and to the business. This will set you apart from other applicants applying for a role doing the same job as you now.

?? ???????? ???????????? - DON'T you dare put "ATTENTION TO DETAIL" in here and then have the audacity to have spelling mistakes littered all over your CV. These core skills/expertise/key competencies, whatever you'd like to label them as are you telling your future employer, "When you hire me, you're going to be hiring someone who is an expert in A, B & C and will add this value to your business".

?Example: - Identifying Sales Opportunities | Lead Generation | Contract Negotiations | Solutions-Based Selling | Senior Stakeholder Engagement |

? Don't even think about using soft skills like: Great Listener | Communication | Attention to Detail | Dedicated | Motivated | Attentive | Quick Learner | - These are personal traits and not core skills, and, most of them belong on your Tinder/Match profile rather than your CV.

?? ??????????????????/??????????????/???????????????????????????? - Are your GCSEs/A-Levels or CSEs/O-Levels if you're old enough that important on your CV? Short answer... NO! No Recruiter or Hiring Manager will look at CV and think "Ooooh, Karen got an A* in Food Tech, we should definitely employ her as I'm sure she'll make a mean batch of brownies for the Annual Company Bake Off!" Unless you're a recent school or college leaver then it has no real advantage being on your CV except as a space filler, leave it out!

University Degrees are important and valuable on a CV, especially if you're looking to get yourself onto an internship, apprenticeship or graduate programme that require graduates. Even better if you've achieved a degree that relates to the sector/industry you want to pursue a career in.

Courses/Qualifications - As long as there is some merit to having them in there, add them in, it shows you're all about personal and professional development.

?? ????????????????/???? ???????????? - Lets start off with an easy one... Microsoft Office.... it's not really a skill...It's more something that everyone has grown up learning to use, like riding a bicycle. Let's just assume that everyone under the age of 50 is proficient in Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint. (The only time I would advise having it on there is if the job you're applying for makes reference to have knowledge of certain Microsoft Office products).

Highlighting your software or IT knowledge is crucial in a number of sectors such as IT, Digital, Data, and Accountancy roles as a number of Recruiter/Hiring Managers are looking for knowledge and working proficiency with a number of software tools and packages. Create a separate section on your CV, so it's easier to identify, remember the average CV gets 7 seconds to make a good first impression.

?Example: SQL / Tableau | SAS | Python | R | Business Objects |

?? ??????????????????/?????????????? - A hot topic that's always discussed. Does it belong on CVs? In my opinion, and that's all it is.... NOPE! I've nothing against people putting it on their CV, I just don't see how it adds value. It won't stop you getting an interview, unless you state you're a Liverpool fan and your potential boss is an Everton fan, but it doesn't show us your professional experience. After all, that's what your CV is right? Highlighting your professional experience and attributes to secure yourself a new role.

Cooking, Long Walks on the Beach, Concerts/Gig, Cheeky Nandos, all belong on your Facebook or dating profile. It's the last thing I'll look at on a CV, if at all and I often assume it's used as a space filler. Could you use that space for something that's going to sell yourself more?

Whilst all the above I've written isn't gospel I hope you'll find all or some of this useful if you're attempting to write your own CV/Resume during this COVID-19/Coronavirus pandemic.

GOOD LUCK AND STAY SAFE

P.S. KEEP WASHING THEM HANDS!