What’s the most important element in crafting an effective CV?
It isn’t downloading a fancy template in your favourite colour scheme. It isn’t adding little icons to “attract the reader’s eye”. And it definitely isn’t listing every detail of that job you held fifteen years ago because it felt important at the time.
A lot of CV advice out there leans on acronym-based frameworks. So over a coffee one morning, I decided to create my own. I did briefly consider a CAT approach. I like cats, and so does the entire interne, but I couldn’t find a strong enough word for the letter T. These things happen.
What I realised, though, is that I’d already been using a specific three-part approach with clients for years without formally naming it. So, without further ado:
Welcome to the CAR approach.
C – Clear and concise
Don’t waffle. What’s the headline of what you did? Recruiters and hiring managers read hundreds, sometimes thousands, of CVs. They don’t need the full story, however much you might want to tell it. Make their job easy and they’re far more likely to give yours a second look.
A – Achievement-focused
Recruiters don’t want a list of things you were responsible for. That’s just a job description. They want to see the results you delivered for the business.
If you can back it up with numbers, even better:
Increased EMEA sales by 25% (£500K) by partnering with the marketing team to develop innovative campaigns.
That single line says far more than three bullet points of duties ever could.
(Don’t have quantifiable metrics? Don’t worry — that’s a topic for another post.)
R – Relevant
This is arguably the most important of the three. A recruiter losing interest in your CV is rarely about your experience. It’s usually about relevance. If what you’re presenting doesn’t clearly connect to the role they’re trying to fill, you’re making their job harder than it needs to be.
Make it easy for the recruiter.
Tailor your CV every time. Focus on the skills, experience and achievements that speak directly to the role. Give more space to your recent and current positions unless something earlier is directly relevant. And please, they really don’t need your full address, marital status or the fact that you enjoy reading in your spare time. Unless you’re applying to be a proofreader, perhaps.
So, next time you’re writing or updating your CV, think CAR:
- Clear and concise
- Achievement-focused
- Relevant
Get all three right and you’ll already be ahead of most of the CVs landing in that inbox.
If you’re having a bit of CAR trouble and would like some help getting your CV into shape, then get in touch.
Email jason@jncv.co.uk
Linkedin Jason Newton
Photo 🇸🇮 Janko Ferlič on Unsplash
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