Be concise

A while ago, I got an eight-page CV from a client who wanted some help ‘trimming her CV down’. It included everything that she had ever done and the longest that I had been given by a client. Like many CVs, she had started it several years ago and just kept adding to it, which is not uncommon.

However, a good CV is not just a list of everything you’ve done and do. It is a marketing tool designed to promote your skills, knowledge and experience and show a new employer what you have to offer them.

You write a CV for the reader ie the recruiter or hiring manager.
For want of a better word, you are the product.

So, what can you do to trim your CV down to the ‘ideal’ two pages.

List what you have achieved ‘for the business’
Spend some time writing down what results you have achieved for the business that are relevant to the new role. Do you have a quantifiable metric to support your case? And if not, no problem.

What result did you achieve for the business by doing what you do? What did you improve or increase? How did you add business value? This helps build up the profile and a section on relevant skills and experience. It also sets the tone for what the rest of the CV should contain.

Cut, cut and cut again
Be selective, concise and if necessary, brutal with your CV.

• Remove or condense the day-to-day tasks in your role to make space for details of the positive impact you’ve had
• If you have over 10 years’ work experience, condense your early career and junior roles into a single section: e.g. ‘1996-2006  – Roles in retail, business administration and transport logistics’
• If you hold a degree or higher education qualification, remove your O-levels, GCSEs and A-levels

Identify what is relevant
The recruiter is going to read a lot of CVs so make yours stand out by being clear, concise and relevant to the targeted role.

• Put the most relevant activities at the top of any list and add them to your profile and/or Skills & Experience section
• Focus on the skills and experience that are relevant to the role you are applying for
• Exclude or condense other aspects of your career history
• Information about previous roles should be far shorter than your current role, unless directly relevant to the targeted role
• Take out irrelevant information. For example, don’t say you hold a driver’s license unless driving is part of your job

Structure your CV
It can help you think about what needs to go, stay or be condensed. As a general guide:

• The profile, skills and experience section and your current role should take up most of the first page
• Education and professional development section is at the end (unless relevant to the targeted role)

The recruiter knows that ‘References are available on request’ and doesn’t need to know if you love dogs or mountain biking at the weekend.

Some CVs will be more (or less) than two pages because certain professions or sectors expect it. But, following the two-page rule and the steps above are a good way to turn your CV into a highly effective marketing tool to get you the interview and job that you want.

So, if your CV is bogged down in detail and you’d like some help moving forward, then get in touch.

Email jncvuk@gmail.com
Photo by Johny Goerend on Unsplash