CV TIPS

Sitting down to write your CV can seem like a daunting

task. But never fear! Were here to help. Weve seen a lot of
CVs in our time, and we how important a well-written CV is
to really sell your skills and personality. Equally, weve seen
a lot of poorly constructed CVs. Its very simple really: if
your CV isnt right, it wont sell you well enough and wont
get the job (or salary) you want.
Weve put together a list of top tips to get your CV really standing out.

1. PREPARATION IS KING
Before you even put finger to keyboard, think about the following:

What kind of job are you looking for?

Make sure your CV reflects your aspirations as much as your experience so far.

Who will be reading your CV?

A specialist recruiter? The hiring manager? HR? Make sure youre tailoring your CV to reflect the
audience.

Once you have these basics in mind, spend some time gathering the key details such as contact
information, qualifications, dates and current responsibilities. From the start, you need to make
sure everything is relevant. If you have a job description in mind, think about matching your
strengths and use any relevant keywords attached to it.
Be honest with yourself. Aim to strike a balance between selling yourself without exaggerating
your skills and achievements. Remember: this will be the basis for interviews and you could
discredit yourself if you stretch the truth or outright lie.

2. STRUCTURING YOUR CV
Start with your name as the heading, not curriculum vitae. (You wouldnt start a letter with
the title letter!) Then include the following information in this order:

Contact information (use this in your header/footer too)

Personal profile and objectives
An overview of your technical skills
Career history, with your most recent job first
Education
Hobbies and interests

In most cases, employers are more interested in your work experience than your education.
However, if youre a fresh grad or if youve recently finished a relevant educational course, then
list this section before your career history.
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3. FORMATTING YOUR CV
Most jobs get a huge amount of applications, so its vital to make sure your CV is easily
readable and gets across all the key points during a quick scan.

DO

Create your CV in Microsoft Word and always send a Word version of your CV to recruiters
(they may need to upload it to a portal or put it in corporate branding)
Keep to two or three pages. If you have been a senior manager on several contracts then
four pages is acceptable (but no more!)
Keep your CV A4 sized in portrait style.
Stick to a white background and dont include any decorative borders.
Choose black font and a simple typeface for the main body e.g. Arial (10 points, never less)
and use this font style consistently.
Highlight headings using italics or bold. Avoid capitals and underlining, as this can look
aggressive.
Keep paragraphs under five lines long.
Use bullet points when listing duties.
Stay reader friendly by keeping a good amount of white space on the page

DONT

Dont include a photo of yourself. Photos can inspire snap judgements and add no real value.

4. PERSONAL DETAILS

Have you changed your mobile number since you last looked for a job? This may seem
obvious but make sure your phone numbers are up-to-date.
Use a professional email address, and not on based on nicknames. We know of employers
who receive so many applications they filter out people who dont have sensible email
addresses. As an example, [email protected] is more likely to be taken
seriously than [email protected].
Include your full address and post code. Your post code is essential as many recruiters, in
house and agency, will search job boards and databases for candidates within a certain
distance from their office. If you dont have a post code on your CV, youll be missing out on
opportunities!
Include your LinkedIn page URL and make sure this is customized (there are more details
on how to do this at the LinkedIn Help Centre).

DONT

Dont disclose your age or date of birth. These will be removed by any professional recruiter
or HR as it opens hirers up to discrimination accusations.
Dont include your marital status, place of birth, religion, number of children or pets. These
details arent relevant.
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DO

You should list your Driving Licence with your personal information. Only list additional
licences if they are relevant to the job.
List your Security Clearance/CRB/Disclosure Scotland status with your personal
information.
List your VISA information at the top of your CV with the type of VISA and Expiry Date, e.g.
HSMP Tier 1, valid until August 2016.

5. PROFILE AND OPENING STATEMENT

This has become an essential part of any CV. We would say two short well-constructed
paragraphs outlining your strengths and motivations are ideal here. This is an opportunity to
sell yourself, so please make sure you highlight anything key to the role such as experience in a
relevant industry or sector, key technologies for the job which you are familiar with, and any
aspirations that are relevant.
Write from the first-person and avoid rolling out clichs such as I work well in a team or on
my own. Generic CV speak can put people off. If youre stuck for ideas, spend some time looking
at job boards reading adverts for positions you may be interested in and see what words come
up frequently. When people are scan reading a document, they often look at the first and last
sentences of paragraphs so keep this in mind when you are constructing your profile. Again
make it as relevant and succinct as possible.

SOME EXAMPLES
"I am a versatile, proactive, board level manager with wide range of skills encompassing sales
management, marketing, operation efficiency and corporate planning. Having worked in highly
pressurised situations, I have shown the necessary skill set to bring complex situations to a
fruitful conclusion. I have been instrumental in orchestrating and managing teams during
complex and innovative sales of technologically advanced
"A business leader with a natural ability to communicate effectively at all levels and build
cohesive and functional teams. I have developed a strong understanding of how businesses
really operate, the politics that influence decisions and how global issues affect them."
"I am a self-starter with the ability to build from nothing and also successfully lead change
programmes I look to 'add value' to an organisation, whether it is the company I work for, or a
client. I base my success on establishing excellent rapport in my professional relationships,
commitment to every task I undertake, and honesty and integrity in everything I do. I am highly
ambitious and I have drive, determination, and the ability to succeed, whilst delivering results."
"Over 20 years experience in sales and implementation of high value adding IT solutions to the
financial community throughout Europe"

6. TECHNICAL SKILLS OVERVIEW

This section should be used to quickly demonstrate that you have the skills required for the
position you are applying for. Keep it relevant and dont be tempted to list every technology
youve ever worked with. This is a snapshot of your experience for a particular job, not a
game of buzz word bingo! Remember that anything you list here is something that you could
be asked about at interview.

7. QUALIFICATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

This is more important for permanent employees than contractors. If youre in the early stages
of your career then list your qualifications at the start of your CV after your profile. If your
qualifications arent very relevant or recent you can put them after your career history.

Make sure you list the dates for subjects youve studied and the institutions youve attended.
If you have an honours degree, list the classification.
Many people forget to mention if they won a class medal or gained a distinction. Definitely
include these as they can differentiate you from your competition.
Dont write a long, rambling description of your course content: a brief overview will do.
A-Levels and Higher Grades will usually only be asked for when applying for permanent
placements. If you do want to include these, then outline your grades and be prepared to
remember what subjects you studied if you summarise them (such as 3 A-Levels A,A,C). If
you dont include these on your CV, make sure you have details to hand just in case youre
asked for them.
List relevant certifications with dates and where possible the certification number.
Include any relevant, recent training that is recent; dont include a COBOL course from 1985
if you have been a Java Developer since 2003.

8. CAREER HISTORY

Start with your most recent position

List the date, employer, and position held.
If the company you have worked for is not a household name, provide a brief summary. For
example: Harvey Nash is a global leader in professional recruitment and executive search
with a strong presence throughout the UK. I specialise in permanent roles within the SME
sector in Scotland. This will help recruiters match up any relevant experience with
companies they work with and give them an idea of your role within the context of the
organisation.
If youve held many positions at one company, treat these as different positions held in one
period of employment. You dont want someone who is scanning your CV to think youve
changed employer regularly if youve actually had a stable career history. You also want to
show off progression where possible.

List your duties and responsibilities including duties performed, budget responsibility,
scope of the role, team size, challenges and achievements as well as the key technologies you
used.
If youve been in a role for a consultancy, try not to outline every project youve been
involved in. This invariably leads to repetition, and with this format you are often telling the
recruiter more about the company and their projects than your role and daily duties.
Dont go into exhaustive detail about positions that arent that relevant to the job youre
applying for, but account for the roles so there are no gaps in your career history.
Bullet points are an excellent way to break this section up, but make sure you have a mix of
prose and that the document is not full of fragmented sentences.
Make sure that the tense you are writing in is consistent and correct.

9. REFERENCING ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS

If youve been working in academia or have had an extended period of learning or research, its
a good idea to provide a few examples of work. Where possible, hyperlink the paper to your CV
when listing it (and dont forget to check the link works!).
This will allow people to delve deeper into your studies with ease and may benefit you if its of
interest to them or relevant to the role. If youve been published several times and are looking
for a position out of academia, only list three to five most recent or most prominent publications
and mention that a full list can be provided on request.

10. HOBBIES AND INTERESTS

Hobbies people are most interested in reading about are those which involve finance,
technology, business or have been a major achievement. Only list other activities and sports
which are recent and youre prepared to talk about. Dont put down things you did at school if
this was years ago and think carefully about what opinions can be formed. Dont list any of the
following: UFO spotting, drinking or anything about guns!

11. REFERENCES
Make these available on request and dont list peoples details on your CV. You never know who
may find your details and contact them without you knowing. This will also prompt you to
speak to your referee prior to anyone calling them.
Before you send out your CV, make sure you review it thoroughly. Spell check and grammar check your CV,
and then have someone you trust read it.

12. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!

Before you send out your CV, make sure you review it thoroughly. Spell check and grammar
check your CV, and then have someone you trust read it.
Check there are no unexplained gaps. If youve had any career breaks, outline them briefly such
as renovating property, career break to look after children, worldwide travel, return to
education etc. If you dont explain the breaks, it could look suspicious to a potential employer.
Ask yourself the following questions when reviewing your CV:

Have you avoided repetition?

Is everything is relevant?
Is anything missing?
Have you focused on your strengths?
Have you used action words?