Between February and April 2023, the rate of employment in the UK hit 76% according to the ONS — not yet part of this uplift? Your CV could be the culprit!
Using our own recruitment expertise, we can confidently say that long-winded, outdated, unoriginal CVs will always find themselves in the ‘no thanks’ pile. Your CV should be an up to date, fluent, concise insight into your experience, and while this may not have been the case in the past, it should also be an indicator of you as a person — as opposed to just another applicant from a long list.
Want to learn how you can strike the optimum balance of professionalism, personality, and the perfect word count? We’re debunking all of the mystery behind crafting a CV that’s certain to land you multiple interviews with this go-to guide!
Choosing an effective format
For some internal recruiters, the wrong format can be an instant no, and this is largely due to the ways that the modern employment world has parted ways with older, out-of-date practices. Looking for the best indicator when it comes to choosing the right format for your application? Take a look at the title of the role you’re applying for. If you’re applying for a campaign-based role within a creative social media marketing firm, then long paragraphs of top-level information on your previous roles will miss the mark.
Instead, showcasing your own viral campaigns or project ideation processes will show an employer exactly what you’re capable of, and how you approach a brief.
Some roles will require a more formal approach though, and in these applications we’d ensure that you use your CV formatting to prioritise the most important information — for example, including any accreditations or short summaries of impressive achievements early on will show employers your value from the offset.
Choosing the wrong CV format can make it hard for employers to see the potential you have for the role you’re applying for. On the contrary, taking the right, considered approach and demonstrating an awareness of the role will show them exactly why you’d be a perfect addition to their team.
Laying out the contents of your CV correctly
When it comes to the contents of your CV, there are some core components that should be covered from an employer’s perspective — but some elements offer up an opportunity for you to communicate your personality, and we’d suggest making the most of these. We’ve explored a mixture of these aspects below, providing advice on areas that you can use to maximise your chances of securing an interview.
Always remember to include current contact information
Imagine the scenario — you’ve spent hours building and customising a bespoke CV format, using all of your creative flair to convey yourself and your experiences. You press send, and the realisation hits you — you’ve not added your name, or you’ve sent the CV off with an old mobile number or an email address you’re locked out of.
There’s no escaping the fact that employers will appreciate knowing who you are and how they can contact you, so be sure to review your CV and ensure that this information is visible somewhere. If you’re working with a Word document, this can be as easy as placing your details in the header of your CV — this way, the reviewer can note this info down straight away. Having easy access to up to date, clear contact information makes life easy for recruitment panels — and it’s a green flag for you as an applicant, too!
Add personality with an introductory statement
If you’re going to use a personal statement in your CV, then use it wisely. This short, to-the-point paragraph shouldn’t ramble on into the story of your life so far — instead, it should be a focused, brief explainer on your key skills, goals, and what you’ll be able to bring to an employer. We’d also recommend making the statement unique to the application you’re working on — it’ll allow you to outline how you can meet any desirable qualities that the employer is looking for (look back to the job description to find these, and address them accordingly!).
Be clear on your professional experience
An employer will expect to review all of your work experience to date, in reverse chronological order. When you’re formatting this, be sure to Include job titles, company names, dates of employment, and short bullet points detailing your responsibilities and achievements.
If you’re pursuing a career change, then you should still follow this practice, but we’d suggest drawing on any skills that you had in these roles that can be transferred to your prospective career path. You could also reflect the reasoning for your career change in your personal statement, before you go on to list your employment to date.
Include a concise, relevant education summary
It goes without saying that the primary school you went to isn’t needed in your education background. Instead, highlight your academic achievements from a later point — for example, when listing your university experience (if applicable), you’d include the degree and honours received, along with the name of the institution you attended, along with graduation dates. You can also include professional education certifications here — for example, any MCPID qualifications can be listed in this section.
Skills: play to your strengths straight away
It’s worthwhile remembering that your CV is all about your strengths, so don’t shy away from communicating everything that makes you the best hire. When you’re building a skills section, aim to include hard skills and soft skills:
What are hard skills?
Hard skills are capabilities or skill sets that a candidate can demonstrate, and they’re often job-specific, such as the requirement for a translator to be multilingual — i.e, the skill is necessary to get the job done.
What are soft skills?
Soft skills can be characterised by their interpersonal, character-trait based quality. Being a good communicator, a team player, or a problem solver are all examples of soft skills, and often they’re equally important as hard skills from an employer's perspective.
Alongside the mixture of hard and soft skills that you possess, you should also include key achievements from your career to date. Whether you’ve successfully orchestrated multi-channel projects, secured new client retainers, or streamlined office management systems, this is the place to communicate these milestones. To enhance the way these are understood by the recruiter, you could quantify them where possible. For example, you increased campaign visibility by 265% in your previous role, or you contributed to a 45% uplift in staff retention rate.
Is there still a place on your CV for hobbies and interests?
Including a section on your hobbies and interests can provide a glimpse into your personality, but make sure these features align with the job and reflect positively on you.
CV writing tips and tricks: Key takeaways
Ready to refine your CV with everything that we’ve outlined? Get started and bear these key takeaways in mind.
Don’t be afraid to be yourself
As we’ve emphasised, your CV is the first impression of yourself that you give employers. Of course, they’re part of a professional process and you can adhere to this value where necessary, but it’s equally as important to tell the recruitment team more about the person behind the document.
From communicating your skills creatively, to giving employers an indicator of the type of team member you are, you can strike a balance between ticking corporate boxes and creating a standout submission. Nowadays, many workplaces make hires based on how you’ll fit the company culture, so sufficient research on the firm you’re applying to will give you ways to show how you embody their values in your own way.
Be as concise as possible
Your CV doesn’t need to match the word count of this week’s bestselling novel! In fact, a shorter CV that communicates value will be easier to digest, and employers will be able to decide whether you’ll progress to an interview stage quicker. Make use of shorter sentences, bullet points, and quick-fire summaries throughout your formatting.
Recruitment teams are all about efficiency, and in a climate where the volume of applications per post keeps climbing, this is more important than ever.
Avoid speaking in a passive voice
The passive voice is common in formal writing, but it won’t serve to make your CV stand out against other applicants. Using the passive voice can limit clarity and create clunky sentences, whereas using active verbs will convey leadership and personal accountability. Start sentences with strong, active verbs — managed, lead, implemented, achieved, directed, and so on.
Focus on results
Companies hire to grow their bottom line, so you’ll need to communicate your ability to show a results-driven approach to the role you’re applying for in order to be considered. In order to do this, focus on emphasising the outcomes of your work, and paint a compelling picture of how your efforts contributed to overall success in previous positions.
Creating an outstanding CV is a crucial step in your job search, and taking some time to consider exactly what employers are looking for will lead you to your dream role quicker. By following the tips and structure advice outlined in this guide, you'll be well-equipped to craft a CV that effectively communicates your skills, experiences, and potential to employers.
If you're looking for more personalised guidance on what we’ve covered, we’re here to help you every step of the way, so contact us to find out more. Alternatively, find out how we can enhance the job search for candidates with our services as a recruitment agency for digital marketing, or find out more about our HR recruitment support and recruitment for office admin roles.
The ultimate CV guide: FAQs
How long should my CV be?
There’s no clear cut target word count for CVs, as it will depend on a few different factors. If you’ve got extensive experience and the role you’re applying for is above mid-level, then don’t limit the amount that you share on your CV, but keep the contents to-the-point.
Likewise, if you’re applying for an entry-level job with limited prior experience, then take a quality over quantity approach. The industry that the role is in will also play a role, and if you’re applying for a creative position then you’d naturally focus on examples of work and their results, rather than excessive bios.