CV Advice

GUIDE TO THE PERFECT CV

Simplicity and brevity are the keys to the ideal curriculum vitae. Your CV should be easy on the eye and simple to read, without underselling your skills and experience.

Prospective employers usually have piles of résumés to sort through, so make yours one that will stand out.

Getting started

Forget coloured paper, 'fancy' and 'wacky' fonts and elaborate layouts. These are more likely to get your CV dumped than get you chosen as an interviewee.

White A4 paper bearing plain English in a standard black font – something like Arial, Verdana or Helvetica – will be perfect, especially when presented in well-ordered, clearly headed sections.

Don’t head your résumé with “CV” or “Curriculum Vitae”. Obviously, that’s what the document is. Begin with your name in bold letters across the top of the first page, follow it with your contact details, and then remember…

Layout

• The perfect CV should be no more than three sides of A4 paper; two if possible.
• Use bullet points, making your document concise and easy to scan.
• Be concise. Avoid long sentences and flowery phrases.
• You can drop the size of your typeface a little, but not so much that it gives the reader a headache.
• Don’t feel the need to fill every inch of the page. Space helps the pages ‘breathe’.
• Present your details in a logical order: the most important information at the top (experience, skills) and the least vital (interests, etc) at the bottom.
• Use headings to clearly define each section.
• Only include a photo of yourself if the recruiter asks for one. 

Style

• Keep italics and capital letters to a minimum
• Stick to the point – and to the truth.
• Constant use of “I” is ugly.
• Avoid jargon and buzzwords (“incentivise”, “blue sky thinker”, etc).
• Don’t resort to CV clichés, such as “proactive self-starter”.
• And avoid negative words like “dislike”, “problem” and “never”.
• But do use ‘dynamic’ words. These include “involved”, “impact” and “achievement”.

Skills

• Put it at the top of your CV, directly after your contact details.
• Keep this list short; about half a dozen snappy words or phrase will do it.
• Tailor it for the job for which you are applying. This might mean a bit of research into the company for which you’re hoping to work.

Experience

• Start at the end - your current or most recent job - and work backwards.
• Don’t include details of part-time summer jobs unless they’re relevant.
• But don’t allow time gaps, so précis temporary jobs and travelling. You may also have to précis full-time work if your career has been lengthy.
• Don’t forget to include all achievements – and quantify with a number if possible. For example: “reduced overspend by 12%”.

Qualifications

• Be brief; this section is of less importance than skills and experience.
• Start with the most major qualification and work backwards to the least significant.
• If you have a degree, you don’t need to list all your GCSEs, though some recruiters want to know about A-level results.

Interests

• This is only an optional section, but it is very popular among job candidates.
• Make sure each item is interesting or indicates a transferable skill.
• Don’t exaggerate your preferred interests.
• And dont include mundane ones. “Going to the pub” is not a legitimate pastime.

Age and marital status

• It is illegal for job adverts to specify an age range, or for prospective employers to ask about your marital status.
• Stating either on your CV is not necessary, but you can do so if you wish.