If your CV isn't focussed on the needs of the company or the job itself, you're missing a marketing opportunity. Make your CV relevant and position yourself for the job you want, rather than just summarising your career history.
Start with an impact
The top third of your CV has the greatest impact, so make sure the most important information is here. Don't distract the reader by writing your career objective, but focus on what the hiring manager is most likely to want to read. You can do this in a number of striking ways:
- Head your CV with the job title you're applying for followed by a brief profile
- Add a quote from a manager or client under your profile to serve as a mini testimonial
- Use a tag-line — the space immediately under your name or job title — to highlight your professional expertise. You can write a short statement or list personal or professional characteristics (three is a good number) that best sum up your appeal and value. If you're not sure how to describe yourself, ask colleagues for their opinion on your best qualities.
Show what you can deliver
Past performance is often used as an indicator to measure future potential. Find relevant examples from your work history which illustrate your ability to solve problems or bring value to a company. In many cases you can quantify your achievements through percentages or amounts, but don't discount other non-financial results that might also be relevant to the role. Did you become the company expert on a particular process for example, or was your behind-the-scenes work instrumental in getting a project up and running successfully? Researching the role, company and sector trends thoroughly will give you a clearer idea of the type of examples that will be relevant — both immediately and in the future.
Focus on the big picture
Avoid getting bogged-down in details that detract from your marketing message. You don't need to give the reason why you left previous jobs, or say why you're applying to this particular company on your CV. Be prepared to answer these questions at the interview. Keep your CV focussed on what you can bring to the new role — not why you moved from one job to another. Similarly, you can probably keep most education information to a minimum. Recent training courses are generally far more relevant than GCSE results.
If you're worried that a number of short-term jobs marks you as a job-hopper, consider grouping them together into a category such as 'Retail' or 'IT consultancy' and focus on your breadth of skills and experience, rather than individual roles.
Make sure your CV is geared towards the role you're applying for. If you've had experience in different functions, develop a different CV for each (for example, a CV oriented towards sales jobs, another CV highlighting your IT experience and so on) so that you avoid diluting the impact of your CV. If you have substantial or relevant experience in a different field, you can add an 'Additional experience' section after your main work-history section.
Avoid the 'responsible for' list of duties
For many roles, the specific responsibilities are similar across sectors, and you risk stating the obvious and missing an opportunity to impress if you only list duties. Instead, try to identify what made you a valued employee. Were you able to simplify a procedure, or find a more efficient way to do something? Were you given wider or supervisory responsibilities because your skills extended beyond your role? A couple of examples of how you contributed will make your CV stand out far more than a list of duties.
Speak the same language
Every industry has its own terminology — particular words, phrases or acronyms used by people working in that sector. Make sure you're using the correct industry-specific language in your applications. This is particularly important if you're changing career, as you'll need to make sure that you can describe previous achievements in a way or style that is relevant.
Be specific
Avoid cliches such as 'team player' or 'results-oriented' but give specific examples to demonstrate rather than describe your qualities. Instead of writing 'excellent communication skills' prove it with an example: 'Wrote copy for brochure distributed to more than 1k outlets'.
