CV writing tips in 2020

– By Swarupa Patra (LinkedIn)

When it comes to job hunting, your CV is paramount. Get it right, and you’ll have an interview in no time, but get it wrong, and you may face rejection after rejection. Every CV is different as you want to show why your set of skills makes you suitable for the position you’re applying for at that moment.

Imagine when composing your CV that you are putting an advertisement in the newspaper and paying per word. When this is the case, only words that are adding value are used.

The same applies to making your CV.

The rationale for this is due to many recruiters having to screen large volumes of CV’s under tight time constraints. A recruiter may only glance at a CV for minute and sometimes only seconds, the average is estimated at 20 seconds. This leaves only a limited time frame to get your message across and be selected so you need to make each second count!

Here are some CV writing tips to show you how to make a great CV that’s ready for 2020 and beyond.

What is a CV?

Your CV, short for curriculum vitae, is a personal marketing document used to sell yourself to prospective employers. It should tell them about you, your professional history and your skills, abilities and achievements. Ultimately, it should highlight why you’re the best person for the job.

A CV is required when applying for a job. In addition to your CV, employers may also require a cover letter and a completed application form.

Decide which CV type is right for you

There are 3 main CV types. You will need to choose the one which is right for you depending on your career stage and on what you want to do next.

Chronological CV

This is the most common CV. It will display your work history, plotting how you have continued to gain knowledge, skills and possibly qualifications in the same or similar industries. It is used for career ladder climbers – people looking to progress further.

Qualification based CV 

This CV would be for graduates, return to workers (after some time of absence from work) and specialist career changers (recently completed a course in order to try a new career). This format showcases any qualifications which are specifically required for your next step.

Skill-based CV

This CV format will highlight transferable skills and knowledge which are relevant to your next role and would work well if you decided to change career or industry without getting any new qualifications first, taken a short break, or seen a specific project you would like to apply for but do not have direct industry specific experience in while making your CV. 

You May Be Interested In Reading: How to craft your CV post covid-19

Introduction

The first part of your CV, positioned at the top of the page, should contain your name, professional title and contact details. Under no circumstances should you title your CV with ‘curriculum vitae’ or ‘CV’ as it’s a waste of valuable space. Treat your name as the title instead.

When it comes to your contact details, your email address and phone number(s) are essential. Once upon a time, it was customary to include your full address on your CV. Today, you simply need to list your town and county.

If you like, you can also include a link to your LinkedIn profile in this section – but only if it’s up to date.

You can add a bit of formatting flare at this stage while making your CV around the writing of your headings such as career history etc. – some subtle colour might help your CV stand out from the crowd.

Personal statement

A CV should ideally start with a personal statement. This is your opening pitch to your prospective employer and an opportunity to convince a recruiter the rest of the CV is worth reading.

While making your CV, a personal statement, also known as a personal profile, career objective and professional profile, is one of the most important aspects while making your CV. It’s a short paragraph (ideally 50 words) that sits just underneath your name and contact details giving prospective employers an overview of who you are and what you’re all about. Look at what is your unique selling point if you can and avoid clichés such as a team player and strong interpersonal skills.

You should tailor your profile to every job you apply for, highlighting specific qualities that match you to the role. Aim to keep your personal statement short and sweet, and no longer than a few sentences. To make the most of this section while making your CV, you should try to address the following:

1. Who are you?
2. What can you offer the company?
3. What are your career goals?

Career History/Career Summary

Your employment history section gives you a chance to outline your previous jobs, internships and work experience.

List your experience in reverse chronological order as your recent role is the most relevant to the employer.

When listing each position of employment, state your job title, the employer, the dates you worked and a line that summarises the role. Then bullet point your key responsibilities, skills and achievements and figures to support each claim and showcase your impact.

It helps to choose the duties most relevant to the job you’re applying for, especially if it’s a long list. If you have many years’ worth of experience, you can reduce the detail of old or irrelevant roles. If you have positions from more than 10 years ago, you can remove them.

Key skills

Focus on the skills and experience that supports your personal statement and the job specification outline of the role you are applying for. List up to five examples; explain what you did, how you did it and what was achieved.

Education and Qualifications

List any relevant courses and qualifications with the level or grade if appropriate. Place education in order from highest level down – i.e. in chronological order, starting with the most recent.

The details should be displayed something like this:

‘Start and end date’ ‘Qualification’ ‘Name of institution’

Interests & Achievements

This section gives you an opportunity to show your personality while making your CV. Highlight that you’re a well-rounded individual. This could include sport if relevant as this indicates that you are health conscious and a team player. If relevant you can also list all relevant awards and memberships and how you keep up to date within your particular field. Be careful though; avoid listing hobbies that don’t add value to your CV or are run-of-the-mill, like reading. Draw on interests that make you stand out or are relevant to the job.

Referees

Either provide two referees (usually people you used to work for) or state “Available on request”while making your CV. When adding referees make sure these are as current and have given permission to be contacted.

What not to include

There are a variety of details you shouldn’t include on your CV. Here are a few of the common ones:

Age and date of birth: The only dates that should be on your CV are from employment and your qualifications. Your age doesn’t affect your ability to do the job, and it’s illegal for the employers to ask about age under the Equality Act 2010.

Marital status: Like your age, your marital status and dependents don’t affect your ability to do your job. These details are protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, and it’s against the law for employers to ask about them, so don’t include them while making your CV.

We recommend you to read How to build an ATS compliant CV to get an insight into how ATS is being used these days to screen mass applications.

Here is a CV example of an administrative assistant:

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Next steps

Get your CV right from the outset, and you may well find a job more quickly. Your CV is your chance to make a great first impression and secure yourself an interview, so follow this 2020 guide and then upload your CV to apply for your next job.

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