How to Write a Successful CV

No matter how many jobs you may have applied for in the past, knowing how to write a successful CV remains one of the most daunting tasks for any job seeker. It may have been years, if not decades, since you last had to write a CV and you might not know where to start, but don't worry; as a professional recruitment company, we have seen our share of the good, the bad and the downright bizarre in terms of CV applications, so we have put together this easy to follow guide on how to write a successful CV from layout to content.

Your CV Layout

• Name and Contact Details
• Personal Statement
• Employment History
• Education
• Additional Information
• References

Name and Contact Details

Present your CV with your first and last name clearly in bold at the top of the page. Underline this with your current contact details including your home address, telephone number and email address. You can also include any websites or blogs that you own if they are relevant. Thinking about adding a photograph? We'd advise against it - let your content do the talking.

Top Tip Many job seekers believe that they have to include their date of birth, nationality and marital status on their CV. Updated discrimination laws now mean you do not have to include this information, so stick to the basics.

Professional Statement

Understanding the purpose of your personal statement can go a long way in helping you to write it. This is the space you can use to tell an employer about your strengths, your expertise and your goals and aspirations for your next move. Tailor it specifically for the job you are applying for, avoid using worn-out cliches such as 'team player', 'dynamic' and 'results driven' and keep it short - 200 words is fine (use 3 bullet points if it helps).

Top Tip Look at the type of language the employer uses in the job specification and make sure you match  up to what they need.

Employment History

We always advise adopting a 'chronological CV' style, which means highlighting the job roles you have held starting with the most recent. This allows you to show the depth of your experience as well as how recently you have utilised your skills. List the employer, your job title and the time frame you held the position for on one line. Write in the present tense for your current job and in the past tense for everything previous to that.

Whatever you do here, don't be vague. Bullet point your responsibilities and key skills and support all statements with an example of how or what you did. Employers like to see measurable results, so make sure you include hard statistics (increased by 40%, reduced costs by 27%, etc). For every sentence you write, ask yourself: is this relevant information for the job I'm applying for? Does the employer need to know this and will it increase my chances of getting the job? If the answer is no - delete.

Top Tip Employers and recruitment agencies often use the CTRL+F function to scan your CV for keywords, so check the job spec and be sure to use the keywords they have included.

Education

The highest qualification you have achieved is the most important. If you include A-Levels/GCSE's don't list every individual subject and grade; a simple 9 GCSE's grades A-C will suffice. As always, think about what you have done that makes you the right candidate for the job. For example, did you cover a module in your degree that would support your application? Did you manage any projects that would demonstrate your skills? 

Top Tip Your Education should follow after your Employment History, unless you are applying for a graduate scheme, or have less than 3 years experience, in which case your Education is more relevant.

Additional Information

You can also label this section as 'achievements' if appropriate. Depending on how much space you have left, use this section to highlight any significant things you have achieved. These can be within the work place if you haven't already mentioned them under Employment History, or outside of work. Achievements can include languages you speak, IT skills and additional capabilities, voluntary or charity work you have taken part in and any interests or hobbies that you feel demonstrate that you would be ideal for the role you're applying for. 

References

You don't need to include full references within your CV although you do, excuse the poor pun, have to at least make reference to them. If you have enough space left, include the contact details of two references including their full names, job title, company they work for, email address and their work number. If you don't have enough room to include this, write 'references available on request' in bold at the very end of your CV.

3 Things to Remember When Writing Your CV:

1. Proof Read. You will hear it every time, but that is because people still don't do it. Microsoft Word will automatically do this for you, but it won't let you know if everything you have said makes sense, or if your punctuation is correct. Ask 2-3 people to read through your CV to make sure it all makes sense. Ask them what skills came across the most to ensure you're making the right impact.
2. Keep it Simple. Unless you're applying for a creative role, keep the style of your CV simple. Fonts should be clear, black, easy to read and consistent throughout. Put titles in bold and insert horizontal line breaks to segment your CV into tidy sections. 
3. Keep it Short. There is no one rule for how long your CV should be. While two A4 pages is considered to be ideal, if you have lots of experience you may need to go over this. As long as everything you have written is concise and most of all relevant you will be fine.

>> Job interview coming up? Download our guide to acing your job interview

>> Want a free review of your CV from the Sanderson experts? Drop us an email at info@sandersonplc.com with the subject line "CV review".

 Georgina Fenn is a Business Relationship Consultant for Resource Solutions Group. For more advice, connect with Georgina on LinkedIn.