What makes a good CV?

What makes a good CV?

Two Personnel Managers answered this as follows.

A CV should be quick and easy to read.

  1. It should be clearly and logically laid out so it is uncluttered and pleasing to the eye.
  2. Please keep it simple for easy reading. Two pages are ideal, and not more than three.
  3. Straightforward and easy to read, well set out text, saves time for the reader.
  4. Employment details are well set out and concise.

The information must be honest and relevant

  1. Unpretentious, concise, honest and realistic.
  2. If applying for a specific job, the CV should respond to the qualities and experience asked for in the advertisement but still be honest.
  3. Avoid detail about the early experience. The last five years are more critical.
  4. Include the reason for leaving, if relevant.

The CV should tell the reader about the applicant

  1. What you have done and what you have achieved should be set out clearly.
  2. Give some clues as to the personality of the applicant
  3. Describe yourself in your terms. This is a good selling point.

Finally

It is hard to write a CV. It isn’t easy to condense many years of work into a few paragraphs. Most people get much more criticism than praise in their lives. This can carry over into self-criticism and make it hard to be positive. We then undersell ourselves when writing a CV.

You can help each other produce your CVs. Your thoughts will become clearer if you talk about it while someone else listens.

If you would like help using this idea, or have any comments or questions please contact me. Thanks, Nick