THE 9 RULES TO WRITING A GOOD CV
RULE 1: TAKE YOUR TIME
A good CV will give you more chance of getting an interview for the job you want. A few hours invested in you now will repay you 1000s of times over.
Unless every job you apply for has identical requirements, each CV you send should be different. So, take the time to write a good base version, a template which you can quickly and easily tailor to suit each job you apply for.
RULE 2: 20 SECONDS
Imagine you are the recruiter! You have had a stressful day and now have 100 CV’s to read through!
If you take 1 minute to quickly scan every CV that’s the best part of two hours. Having carefully read the first few, enthusiasm wanes. By CV number 10 the eyelids start to close. By CV 20 you are praying for some relevance to strike you – quickly – rather than having to dig for it hidden in the work history somewhere.
YOU HAVE 20 SECONDS TO CAPTURE ATTENTION!
RULE 3: AIR
1st impressions count. Make your CV clean, clear, airy and simple to find the relevant information. QUICKLY!
RULE 4: FLOW
A logical flow to your CV makes it easier to read and adds another level of differentiation.
RULE 5: RELEVANT
THE NO.1 REASON CVs ARE REJECTED IS BECAUSE THE EXPERIENCE IS NOT RELEVANT!
With 20 seconds to grab their attention. Get the most ‘RELEVANT’ information across within that timescale. Is your address, phone number, pretty picture, qualifications and marital status important to see at the top of your CV? Your contact details are only needed if your CV is impressive.
A relevant, flowing, airy CV that grabs attention within 20 seconds will encourage the reader to read on. This is how a good CV should start (see this CV for reference):
- NAME: First and last only (apologies if you have 15 names – think about the reader!).
- CURRENT TITLE: You can’t get much more relevant than that!
- CURRENT SALARY: Not essential but what a differentiator.
- SUMMARY:
- Relevant experience: Keep this paragraph to 50 words or less. Keep the information relevant and succinct. Add detail later. Let the reader decide you are a ‘keeper’ first.
- Why I am applying: 50 words or less. You have already relayed why your experience is relevant. Now align the opportunity with your aspirations.
RULE 6: LESS IS MORE
Having grabbed attention, keep it. The next section is your EMPLOYMENT HISTORY. Keep your content airy and relevant. Add another level of differentiation – impress with your ability to be precise and to the point.
Reverse chronological order as your experience over the last 5 years is the most relevant. Provide relevant detail. As the dates recede, experience becomes less relevant and requires less detail. Do list all your professional work experience but anything over 10 years ago only requires one line (see Antonys’ CV).
RULE 7: REFERENCES
Massive differentiator. Why say ‘references available upon request’ when you have a unique opportunity to prove how good a job you have done previously by putting them in writing on your CV now? Add a couple of quotes from previous line managers to re-assure the reader and decision maker that you have delivered and will be an asset to the team.
RULE 8: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
WHAT IS RELEVANT and in what order (flow!)?
- QUALIFICATIONS: professional qualifications are relevant – what, when and where will suffice.
- BIM COMPETENCY: very relevant. You will have referred to this in your profile. Provide extra detail with an attachment – the BIM Competency form is a useful template.
- TECHNOLOGY COMPETENCY: as above, if relevant, you will have referred to this in your profile. Provide extra detail with an attachment – the BIM Technology Competency form is a useful template
- RIGHT TO WORK IN THE UK: very relevant
- CONTACT DETAILS: relevant at the very bottom of your CV. if they want to contact you and they are not going to write email and mobile will suffice.
- TRAINING COURSES – not relevant
- HOBBIES – not relevant
- RELIGIOUS BELIEFS – potentially interesting but not relevant
- SEXUAL PREFERENCES – potentially interesting but not relevant
RULE 9: GOOD IS IN THE DETAIL
Proof read your CV and then get someone else too. Check grammar. Check spelling. Check numbers if you have used them. Nearly every CV we receive has at least one spelling mistake! There are 10 ‘typos’ in this document. How many did you spit?
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