Making your CV effective Published on 15 October, 2009 by Douglas Macdonald

As your CV is the primary source of information employers will have about you when they short-list candidates for interview, we thought we’d make CVs the subject of this blog.

Your CV is a sales document about you. Any sales document has to have certain key characteristics:

• it must be relevant
  
• it must be concise
  
• it must be accurate
  
• it must sell you, not just describe you

Relevant

If you are applying for a job in the media sector, for example, waxing lyrical about your previous role in the transport sector may not get the right message across. The experience you gained in your previous role may be very relevant, but it’s up to you (through your CV and then at interview) to communicate how that experience is relevant to a new job in a different sector.
You need to draw out parallels, focusing on the type of work you did, how you did it, and what positive impact resulted. If you are applying for jobs in different sectors that you’re interested in, it’s not a bad idea to maintain a different CV for each sector. Dekasu can help you with this as you can store any number of CV versions, each tailored the way you want (e.g. by sector, or even for each job), but managed from one central career profile.

Concise

An employer will typically spend a very little amount of time looking at individual CVs until they have narrowed the list down to an interview short list. Your task at the application stage is simple – to get on that interview shortlist. A long rambling CV normally won’t get a second glance – you will have missed the opportunity at the first hurdle. Five points to remember are:

1. 1. make your CV short (no more than 2 sides)
2. 2. keep the layout clean and uncluttered
3. 3. make it easy to read with bullet points rather than lots of prose
4. 4. bring out your achievements and skills, focusing more on the most recent ones
5. 5. make sure you address the requirements specified in the job advert

It can be tough to do these things, especially if you have lots of experience you want to talk about. The trick is to get the interview – you will have a better chance to talk about yourself in the interview than on your CV. If you find this difficult then you might consider the services of a professional CV writer or reviewer.

Accurate

Your CV must be accurate. You may hear people say that CVs always make people out to be better than they really are. It’s true that anyone will want to put the most positive light on their achievements, but if you actually lie (whether outright, or give a misleading impression), you could do your own reputation a great deal of harm. It’s easy to avoid this:

• put yourself and your achievements in a positive light
  
• sell yourself
  
• never lie

Sell, don’t describe

Most people are not naturally good salespeople, and certain cultures are traditionally more reserved than others. So it can sometimes be quite hard to sell yourself on your CV, without feeling somehow immodest. But it’s a bullet you have to bite to get noticed. Be honest and objective about yourself, but celebrate your skills and achievements.

For example you could head up your CV with:

“Finance Director with 10 years experience in the Logistics sector. Widely travelled. Technically proficient.” Accurate, yes, but hardly inspiring.

Perhaps something like the following would be more eye-catching:

"Experienced and energetic Finance Director, passionate about the Logistics sector. Thrives on challenge and exposure to new ideas and cultures.”

Of course, it has to be true, but assuming it is true, then it jumps off the page more than the first example does.

Think of TV adverts. They all have to follow a basic code which includes being factual, but there are many memorable ones and many forgettable ones. Your CV has to make you eye-catching and memorable in the same way that a well thought through advert does.

Summary

• You can’t assume that the same old CV will work every time. It might, but it’s becoming less likely.
  
• You have to research and know your audience. Make your CV relevant to the reader.
  
• Keep your reader engaged – be concise.
  
• Be realistic and truthful.
  
• Don’t be afraid to sell yourself on your CV – you need to get that interview.

© Dekasu Limited 2009