Hallmarks of a great CV
When creating your CV, have a look at the list below, and make sure you can tick all of the boxes:
Hallmarks of a great CV
When creating your CV, have a look at the list below, and make sure you can tick all of the boxes:
Different
A generic sparse CV is effectively wallpaper and risks being ignored. Make sure yours is different. Google, “quirky ways to make your CV stand out from the crowd” to get more ideas.
Talking points: As your CV may be used as the basis of some interview questions, it should contain things that could spark a conversation.
Perfect
In business, mistakes cost money. If your CV contains inaccuracies, expect it to end up in the bin.
Aesthetically pleasing: Your CV needs to look great. Ensure you use tabs and format consistently. E.g. If one subheading is in bold font, the others should be too.
Pithy: Do not litter your CV with long rambling sentences. Make each point in as few words as possible.
Metrics
In other words, things that are measurable. What have you done that makes you stand out from the crowd? Have you won any prizes? For example, Mathematical Olympiad or Jack Petchey.
Show, don’t tell: Outline what you've done and let the reader draw their own conclusions. For example, you could say, “I volunteer at an Oxfam shop for three hours a week”, but you shouldn’t add, “This shows that I am kind and caring.”
Case study: “I once read a CV that listed ‘avoiding snakes’ as a hobby. It was the first thing I asked about in the interview. That talking point got him the job.” The Lesson: Give the recruiter a reason to be curious about you.