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Your CV is a Sales Pitch – The Goal is to get an Interview

Your CV is the first and most important tool to ensure you secure an interview. Like it or not, it’s a sales pitch to a prospective employer. It must sell you in an attractive and professional manner.

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Showcase You

Your CV is a record of your experience but it should showcase your achievements. These are what really differentiate you from other people with similar experience. If an employer sees an achievement on a CV that’s relevant to their job they will want to ask you about it. That makes it easy for them to tick the boxes in their selection criteria. It also makes it easier for them to run an interview and easier for you to answer their questions.
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Content for your CV

Section 1 - Personal details

The key here is not to take up too much room. All you need is name, along with your email address and Linkedin URL. Ensure your Linkedin profile is up to date as this is essentially where you promote 'Brand You'.

Section 2 - Education

Start with your most recent first, even if you're only part-qualified.  Stipulate when you intend to take your next stage of exams. In addition:

  • GCSEs - detail your grades (not subjects).
  • A-Levels - detail of subjects and specific grades (otherwise the reader will assume your grades were poor).
  • Add in T Levels, BTEC and HND, if appropriate.
  • Degree - detail classification of degree, where you studied and the course.

Section 3 - Experience

For all the different businesses you have worked for - ensure that there is a description of what the company does, its size, and who it competes with.  Do not assume that the reader knows.  In addition:

  • Separate out different jobs within the same business - this shows progression, which is evidence that you were rated highly.
  • Your past 2 jobs or last 5 years of experience to be constructed as follows:
    • 3 or 4 Bullets on your MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
    • 3 or 4 Bullets on your AD-HOC PROJECT TYPE WORK - i.e the non day to day stuff!
    • 4 or 5 Bullets on your KEY ACHIEVEMENTS - the experience that is unique to you - where you have had a positive impact on the performance of the business, your team etc
  • Write your experience section in bullet points NOT prose - it is your responsibility to make your CV easy on the eye (i.e lots of white space) and easy for the reader/interviewer to pick out the most relevant parts.

Section 4 - Additional Info

List your computer skills, with specific packages used and your ability on those packages/applications.  Add any courses you have attended or any formal training that you have received.

Section 5 - Interests

You have nothing to lose by adding in your interests. If you share something in common, it acts as an ice breaker!

And finally, some additional thoughts:

  • Bespoke your CV to every job application - there will be words & phrases in the job you're applying for, that you can use in your CV to better explain your experience for this job.
  • Highlight the most relevant aspects of your experience to the job you are applying for - it just ensures the reader doesn't miss something.

Presentation

Ensure your CV looks professional and is laid out neatly. You will be judged by the standard of this, so ensure it creates a fantastic first impression, with a font size no smaller than 11.  Do not use Times New Roman font.

Length

You should be able to say everything necessary on no more than three sides of A4.  

Facts

Only include information in your CV that can be factually verified. Expressions such as, "a good mixer" or “enthusiastic and outgoing” are best left out, and can be better conveyed face to face in an interview.  Use number based facts if you can, ‘I have improved efficiency by 25%’ or ‘I have increased sales ten fold’.

Consultant Advice

When you meet a Macildowie group consultant you will get individual feedback and support to put together the best CV possible.

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