CV Guide and Checklist

Printed from www.survivingredundancy.ie Copyright © 2012

Print article Discuss article

Your CV needs to have a competive edge in the current market. Click here to see how Surviving Redundancy can help!

Your CV is a Marketing Tool

  • Your CV is the first piece of written evidence in relation to your suitability for a role which is presented to a potential employer. Should you successfully get to the interview stage it will also probably be the starting point for a lot of questions you will be asked and topics your interviewers will explore
  • CV's are sales documents with the single purpose of getting you an interview. They should present the most relevant parts of your career in the best light for the job you are applying for
  • A well thought out CV will differentiate you from other candidates with similar experience who haven't necessarily put the same thought into their applications

Highlight

  • The experience you have which is most relevant to the job you are applying for
  • Any additional skills especially IT, systems implementation, and foreign languages
  • Any promotions you've received

Remember

  • Think of what each specific potential employer is looking for and tailor the CV to them
  • Structure your CV uniformly,this breaks down the key parts of your life into smaller pieces making it easier to read and discuss. It conveys the image of a clear logical thinker
  • Describe the business of your employer and previous employers in a commercial manner
  • Say something about your company's products and brands, activities, markets and turnover. Provide the website address
  • Remember that your current or most relevant role is the role which gets you your new job and allocate enough space for it accordingly
  • Ask yourself what makes you different from and better than your peers. (Have you had any specific experience of secondments or projects?)
  • Read other peoples CVs for ideas, especially ones from similar backgrounds and sectors. This will help you see what makes a CV more readable and impressive
  • Keep your CV under continuous review. If it is obvious from an interview that an interviewer has misunderstood your CV rewrite it and make it clearer.
  • If sending your CV speculatively to an employer, find out the name of the relevant person to send it to. Keep the cover letter brief and to the point

Presentation

  • Put your work history in reverse chronological order starting with your present/most recent role
  • Use the same font throughout the CV and check the formatting both on screen and once printed
  • Present your CV in a Word Document, not a PDF
  • Try to keep it to 3 pages or 4 at a maximum. 2 page are ideal especially for less experienced candidates
  • Keep your presentation simple. Use plain white paper for both the CV and the cover letter. If posting it, use an A4 envelope and use the correct postage. Don't use tables/photos/fancy fonts
  • Proof-read and spell check your CV and get a friend to do the same

Avoid

  • Exasperating the reader by leaving out key information. For example, don't leave out your telephone number or name of the company you work for
  • Lying, it may not always seem to be the case but it is easier to tell the truth and prepare well for any follow on questions that may occur at interview stage
  • Giving a lot of useless information. The fact that you won the player of the year in the under 10 football league isn't relevant
  • Using 'I' when listing responsibilities e.g. 'I installed a new computer system' instead of 'installation of a new computer system'
  • Using company specific acronyms and terms, as they generally won't be understood by the reader
  • Forgetting to include an Interests/Hobbies section. This section shows you are a rounded person and may be a talking point
  • Putting a date on your CV and not updating it. This gives readers the impression that you have been looking for a long time and that you are probably less  employable
  • Forgetting to read your CV before you go for an interview.  If you read your CV, you will be able to talk about yourself confidently and you will remember your own selling points! Know your CV
  • Have 'date' gaps- if you have travelled for 6 months or have been made redundant say so

Reasons CVs are rejected

Tell no Sell

Your CV shouldn't read like a job description. Solely listing duties and responsibilities doesn't add value to your experience. It can be a good idea to add a section titled 'Accomplishments' or 'Achievements' and provide details of things that changed or improved as a result of your efforts in previous employment.

Too Long

A good guideline is to spend approximately 50% of your employment history section detailing the last five to seven years or your last two jobs. Jobs from further back in your history can be reduced to a couple of lines-one or two big highlights only. Bullet points save space and are easy to read.

Irrelevance 

Read the job spec. If an attribute is essential and you don't have it then it's unlikely you'll be called to interview stage. Customising your CV for different applications will enable you to emphasis different elements of your experience for this purpose.

Sloppiness

Spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and formatting inconsistencies are all evidence that a candidate wouldn't make a conscientious employee. Ask a few friends to proof read it for you.

Hidden Information

Ask yorself 'Is the must know information easy to get to?' 'Highlighted?' 'Clear?' HR people and hiring managers are likely to see many CV's daily and initially may spend only a few seconds scanning the CV. The highlighted details must be relevant and catch their attention.

Look & Feel

Design and presentation matter. A shabby looking CV is a terrible reason to be disqualified from the selection process. Use headings. Black ink on white paper. Avoid fancy fonts and colours.