Everything you might want to know about working with Winning CVs - the pricing, the process, ATS optimisation and more. Still unsure? Becky is always happy to help.
The CVs receive resoundingly great feedback, after delivery, changes, expert attention from the HR sector, and after people secure the interviews and looks they want to receive. We receive less than one email per year saying their CV isn't working.
The following statements are taken from a wide selection of Trustpilot and Google reviews:
Guaranteed excellent quality; conscientious strategy; solid end-to-end customer service; and a highly personable and helpful approach from a multi-qualified CV writing, marketing & grammar expert.
Key Trustpilot review extracts:
"From the moment I got in contact, Becky made me feel at ease and was able to expertly extract all of the relevant information whilst quietly challenging me. Aside from her professionalism and ability, Becky is fun and warm so made the whole process enjoyable. She spent the time on our calls to really understand who I was, the businesses I wanted to work for and the type of roles to bring that to life in 2 pages. It's given me a new sense of confidence, as I'd forgotten about many of my achievements, and Becky was able to draw them out through a thorough discovery process. She turned my CV around quickly and was brilliant at crystallising our discussions to highlight what I offer, key deliverables and work history - ensuring to embed relevant keywords throughout for maximum human and machine readability."
Prices have been carefully calculated around the amount of time each CV, LinkedIn or cover letter takes in total. Bear in mind that Winning CVs comes at CV/LinkedIn/letter rewrites with a 'full rewrite' in mind, using new information derived from the consultation and a completely fresh viewpoint - in order to transform it and aim for the best.
You may be interested to know that the pricing is formed based on just £25 to £35 per hour. Compared with most customers, this is often a mere fraction of their hourly income!
For all CVs, the following takes place:
In the consultation, we do talk through early roles - albeit as briefly as possible. Becky works to understand your thought processes, skills, goals, themes, activities and achievements, and creates extensive notes in order to write about you coherently, concisely and correctly.
If there is, for example, 30 years of experience to cover (some very succinctly, some much more in-depth) this takes more time in the consultation and usually results in many more achievements and notes to think about, reflect, reword and present. Even if they aren't explicitly mentioned, Becky will ensure that the value of what you have done throughout your career is represented in the top profile in a way that you have never seen before (clearly, impressively and honestly).
Even if someone believes their only 'relevant' experience is the last 2-5 years for example, we would (due to extensive experience doing this), counter that - because 10 years doing something else usually developed all manner of skills (and Becky tends to uncover value clients brought) that are actually still very relevant to you today and make you who you are.
Rest assured that Becky knows when to stop detailing roles (one needs to when we are dealing with 2 pages only). Usually, we would heavily detail the most recent role/s and give less detail as we go down. Once we get to somewhere between 2007-2015, depending on the career, we just give an idea of the type and level of role without giving dates so as not to age you unnecessarily.
Sometimes, however, which complicates things, the more senior/relevant experience is years ago! This requires careful thought about the space allotted and how not to introduce ageism.
More experience means more notes, more thought and, let's be honest, higher expectations and stakes.
You can always ask! Please understand that the right CV package for you will be the one that reflects all your experience past the age of 20 - unless most of your roles are very similar and not rising much in seniority. This is when a discount is most feasible. Please do not expect a large discount when you meet all the criteria of a certain package.
The CV template we use is straightforward (straight up and down), highly professional and stylish with demure colouring, a headline, professional profile, skills section, key achievements/experience section, career history, and qualifications/training. This style is not only expected by recruiters (in particular for senior positions) but is easier to navigate by both people and ATS (CV scanning software). Tables, columns, text boxes, pictures and Adobe are known to be difficult to parse by ATS so as a sector we generally avoid these.
The vast majority of CVs should be 2 pages regardless of 20/30/40 years' experience - this is strongly advised by the HR sector and encourages only the very best and most concise information to be included - I do have my ways to ensure this is not only achievable but a better scenario.
We can do 3-page CVs but bear in mind 2 pages will probably be a better idea! Please discuss with Becky and we can agree on a plan.
You can view the CV template we generally use here - and choose one of two options.
All Winning CVs documents are ATS, and human, optimised.
For the few people who don't yet know about these systems, ATS (applicant tracking systems) are used by a large proportion of recruitment firms and major/global companies to scan CVs and make initial selections, comparing the CVs with the job specifications at hand.
We are always told that recruiters only spend somewhere in the region of 7-10 seconds scanning each CV. Further, many jobs really do have hundreds of applicants, so you can imagine the challenges these recruiters are up against.
ATS systems can struggle to parse tables, text boxes, columns, graphics and Adobe / PDF, and misinterpret complex layouts. This means we avoid those types of templates - it's much better to stick with a linear, straight up and down format on a Word document - for humans too. Unless the job advert asks for PDF of course.
We use clear headings for a perfectly digestible, non-confusing CV: Professional Summary, Core Competencies, Key Achievements, Career History, Education and finally, Further Information.
Because there are no 'one-size-fits-all' systems (they are programmed for each role), it is important to tailor CVs for each role being applied for - this works just as well for the human viewers as well, of course. When Winning CVs is tasked to apply for a specific job, we seek to pepper the CV with the keywords mentioned in the job spec. As ATS has developed, including via the use of AI, we increasingly ensure that these keywords are within sentences and indeed match the job spec with specific activities it looks for. We do this through our signature consultation.
Many people do know they are scored on the skills, experience and qualifications mentioned in CVs, but they don't yet know that you win more points for that skill/experience being under a lengthier timescale, and for it being on page one.
With this said, this is a bolstering argument for a key achievements/experience section on page one that is placed above your career history. This brings up key experiences that would otherwise be lost within the roles/on page two and has the human reader in mind as well as ATS.
In cases where there are highly relevant experiences in people's earlier lives (there usually are), this is where the Achievements section really comes into its own, as one of the first things the reader sees. You could chop/change these as per the role applied to if sensible.
Becky has been a strong advocate for this section for the last 8 years, and judging from consistent feedback in reviews, she has been right all along!
For example: "I immediately noticed good responses - a lot personally written which meant that my CV had got in front of someone. I had responses from some large Blue Chips - who had over 100 applications. Becky's version really punched through - and at interviews some of the elements pulled out from career and placed front and centre were mentioned. My CV seemed to be getting through and past AI and I can only put that down to Becky and the approach taken to laying out my CV." - All taken from one recent Trustpilot review.
For more on optimising CVs for ATS and humans, please read Failsafe CV Design for ATS & Recruiters.
At the end of the consultation:
Having a consultation as part of the CV writing process is without question the most effective and efficient way to write CVs. It serves as the conduit through which I ascertain your successes, the value brought to companies, your skills, your values, your passions and your reasoning, and it helps me to write in 'your voice'. It significantly increases the likelihood of the CV being optimised and pitched at the right level, and your individuality accurately and pleasingly articulated.
Key review extracts: "From the moment I got in contact, Becky made me feel at ease and was able to expertly extract all of the relevant information whilst quietly challenging me. Aside from her professionalism and ability, Becky is fun and warm so made the whole process enjoyable. She spent the time on our calls to really understand who I was, the businesses I wanted to work for and the type of roles to bring that to life in 2 pages. It's given me a new sense of confidence, as I'd forgotten about many of my achievements, and Becky was able to draw them out through a thorough discovery process. She turned my CV around quickly and was brilliant at crystallising our discussions to highlight what I offer, key deliverables and work history - ensuring to embed relevant keywords throughout for maximum human and machine readability."
We can expedite both the consultation and delivery, depending on business volume at the time - phone/email and ask! If we can do it, we will at no extra cost.
Winning CVs is known for delivering the very best documents and helping clients secure interviews, and if you are right for the job (and vice versa), the CV and/or supporting documents WILL secure the interview.
Of course, it's important to note that there are many factors to consider:
Therefore, one must be careful not to 'guarantee' an interview. We do however, guarantee optimal thought processes, time, effort, strategies and decisions, given your goals.
Winning CVs is known for delivering the very best in terms of documents and securing interviews (as proven through 100% genuine Trustpilot & Google reviews – some extracts below).
Becky has developed and implemented a structured, highly constructive and respectful changes process to resolve imperfections. This is detailed below and across many other areas of this site (How it Works, the 'Process FAQ', Customer Success) and Winning CVs requires clients to follow it if the document is imperfect. If it is not followed, the service is deemed incomplete.
We discuss changes and provide our respective perspectives, and Becky both advises and makes the changes that we both agree on. Becky comes at this with her experience, knowledge, skills and qualifications; she knows what works having done this for so long, and you come at it with your extensive knowledge of your sector/market/yourself and ideas as to how you want the CV to look.
The changes call is not a 'get-out clause' - Becky appreciates it when clients mention something isn't right - she respects it and works hard to get it right - with your input. After all, how can it be perfected when one instead sends an email saying, 'It is not good enough, I'm not going to feedback on what is/is not right, and I want my money back'? Quite simply, it can't be.
If you use the CV with no luck: On the extremely rare occasion that a client states that they have been using the CV with no luck, there could be many market-based reasons for this, but Becky would (and has in the past) volunteered to readdress the situation, for FREE.
Before buying: It doesn't hurt to do your research. To ensure we are on the same page, please take a look at our templates, make sure you agree with our strategies and approaches (FAQ, How it Works, CV Services Page, Home Page), and that you trust in the process / outcomes. To further help with this, also see the reviews and study the site's content - all written by Becky.
Key points to note:
Key Trustpilot and Google review extracts:
Winning CVs is always happy to help. Get in touch to discuss your CV, LinkedIn or cover letter - or to arrange a free review.
Contact Winning CVs
