Transform your OK CV to an Amazing CV

Lacklustre CV leading to lacklustre results?

Take heed!

Recruiters often have hundreds of CVs to look through – so they naturally skim CVs in seconds… and because it's the 21st Century, ATS (CV scanning software) requires the right number of keywords in the right places.

So how do we make those lasting first impressions? How do we avoid being binned?

The Fast Route (for those on the go)

Paramount: Clarity, Clarity, Clarity!

Given that the recruiter is possibly rushing through everyone's CVs, you need to make it quite clear the value you have brought the company[s] or organisations from the start – therefore making it quite clear you could also do that for the target company.

Further:

• Polished, attractive style, structure, formatting and layout
• Focus on measurable achievements, impact and value delivered – from the start
• Raise the level – focus the first sentences on the best/higher level information
• Speak to the job description, tailoring language & incorporating relevant results
• Use clear English with the right level of sophistication – avoiding jargon
• Apply impactful, confident action verbs
• Ensure zero grammar or spelling errors
• Reduce, reduce, reduce! If you can get it shorter while retaining key messaging, do it!
• Optimise it with industry-relevant terms (keywords) for ATS and humans

Finally: Add some special sauce! Read on for detail…

A Bit More Detail

Initial Looks Matter

Professionalism, Attention to Detail, Care for the Reader

• Use an attractive, professional template. Winning CVs introduces minimal colouring at the top (a header) but be very careful of colours – aim to keep all the doors open!
• Neat formatting, equal white space and no 'widows' (single words taking up a whole line)!
• Clear headings in linear fashion (straight up and down).
• No columns, tables, text boxes or pictures because a) ATS can struggle to read them, b) they can be confusing [e.g., columns] and c) it can just be too much [e.g., pictures] – sensory overload!
• Don't overfill your CV – ideally 950 – 1150 words over two pages, no 'wall of words'.
• No smaller than font 11 – to help the reader and ensure readability.
• Good, modern CVs avoid serif fonts like Times New Roman and do use sans serif such as Calibri – this reduces complexity and effort for the reader.

Section by Section

The following is Winning CVs way of doing things – a strategically created blend of standard best practice and best practice variations that, put simply, works. Many CV writers do things differently, sometimes vastly so – after all, it is half art, half science, those in the know say.

Top of the page (Header)

Name and contact details on left. Font 24 for the name!

Clear, strategically chosen title (Font 20-24), and small number of core skills on the right.

Professional Profile

• 5 lines – start with your strategically formulated title (as in header).
• Continue line one focusing on what you are known for, or 'consistently' doing – with a focus on the benefits, outcomes and value.
• Winning CVs tries to make this first sentence an all-encompassing claim that covers the most important points and essentially renders everything else you put in the profile almost surplus to requirements.
• Sentences two and/or three: Back up the claim with those essential skills, ways of working, methodologies or traits.
• Ensure to make it feel diverse and rounded – never miss out the people side of things.

… What you're trying to do is get across to the reader in the first sentence just how amazing you are. Of course, tailor this to job specs if you are applying – while still making it you.

Skills Section

Winning CVs makes this no more than 4 lines – keyword fashion separated by little bullet point icons. Of course, research those relevant key skills for each role.

Winning CVs' 'Secret' Section!

A highly versatile section placed under the key skills dedicated to relevant, value-add and 'most proud of' points – showcasing companies worked for perhaps, certain roles, and/or value brought. Figures are great – the holy grail – but not essential.

Career History

After the 'secret' section, Winning CVs starts the career history at the bottom of page 1 – with enough space for the first role's intro paragraph.

Intro paragraphs: Set context with scope, scale and area[s] of accountabilities, ideally with team size / set-up / locations and perhaps your reporting line.

Short Bullets: After the intro paragraph, a set of bullets on ideally what you did and the value it created.

Achievement-led content: OK CVs list duties. Amazing CVs focus on measurable achievements, impact, and value delivered.

Brevity: No more than 2 lines per bullet. If needed, use sub-bullets – it's about ease of reading.

Avoid repetition – e.g. starting every bullet with 'Responsible for…'! Many of these 'responsibilities' can be covered off in the intro to the role.

Use action verbs – some good ones:

• Spearheaded
• Conceptualised
• Delivered
• Project managed
• Transformed
• Led
• Steered
• Coordinated
• Managed
• Built
• Drove

Tackling space and ageism

Maximise important detail in the last 7-10 years, then start to minimise space given to earlier roles. As an example, Maria has 25 years' experience:

• We gave lots of detail in the last 7-10 years
• We gave a role 10 years ago 8 lines
• We gave a role 15 years ago 4 lines
• All previous roles had a cover all statement – e.g.: Previous roles include X, Y and Z – no dates – avoiding ageism, text bulk and complexity

Remember – if there is something (or many things) important Maria wants to highlight in the earlier 10-25-year time period, we can put them in the versatile section on page 1!

Education

This section depends on age and qualifications, but, if you have degree[s] and you are older than say 25, definitely delete schooling qualifications such as GCSEs and consider deleting A levels too – particularly as you get / if you are older.

Many people miss off the dates of these if any are in the 90s or earlier.

Put in training / professional development.

Further Information Section

A versatile section for languages, IT skills and anything else such as voluntary work or even publications. If you do have publications, consider a cover all statement (on page 1 perhaps) together with a link to an online repository or website with those publications in it.

That way, we can keep it to 2 pages.

If you'd like any support, advice or hands-on CV writing, let me know – contact Becky by emailing on: becky@winningcvs.com or calling: 07928 525 882