Here's a proven process for structuring your CV/Resume.
Introduction
I read hundreds of CVs yearly for senior agile, project, programme and product roles, and through the process, I've seen what works and what doesn't. With a large global team, my leaders and I have to hire good quality every time, and the CV is the first thing we see of a person.
Although I also see a cover letter, they are now almost always written by AI and are too perfect to be true. AI can't make up your life in the way that a cover letter can sound compelling, so your CV remains your shop window.
Here, I'll show you what consistently works and answer some of the questions I get about CVs. If you have any, please get in touch with me, and I'll update this article.
Who or what reads my CV?
Your CV may be your shop window, but it has two different audiences.
Your first audience is human:
An agency or employer recruiter. Without knowing much about the job, they will want to quickly work out whether to put your CV to the hiring manager.
A sifter or hiring manager. They will want to know whether to spend an hour or more with you to give you the chance to answer their questions. A hiring manager's time is limited, so they want to talk to as few people as needed to find the person they need.
I recently read that, on average, a person spends seven seconds scanning a CV, so you need that seven seconds to count.
Irrespective, your CV needs to answer the questions people have in their mind within the first half page:
Is there evidence they have the right skills for this job?
Do they have experience, or are we taking a risk?
Do they work for an organization that we might benefit from having skilled people from?
Can they present themselves well?
Can they present information simply and concisely?
Your second audience isn't human; it's AI.
AI will generally search whether the words on your CV match the words it's been told to look for. In a way, that's similar to a human but without a sense of humour.
What people are good at but AI isn't is reading formatting. Last week, I reviewed a colleague's CV for a role, and it had his photo and the logos of all the software tools he was an expert at. It looked great, but an AI isn't going to read it effectively, resulting in an auto-reject or not being found in searches.
Lessons
The first lesson is this: Both humans and AI will likely read your CV, and both need to maximize the information they get from it in as few words as possible.
The second lesson is that you cannot be lazy and have a generic CV. Take the time to develop a CV for each distinct type of role you seek. The German language has a wonderful word - Eierlegende Wollmilchsau. It means egg-laying, wool-providing, milk-giving pig. In other words, it can do everything, but probably poorly. Don't make out you are a bit of everything - focus your CV to be the top candidate in whatever the employer is looking for.
How to lay out your CV
Page 1
Many CV reviews never get past the first page. Make it compelling and ensure you have the following:
Name and Highest Qualification
Area | Number | email (nobody needs your address yet)
A one-line summary of you (e.g. Marketing manager with 25 years specializing in Higher Education recruitment)
A short 3-4 line profile. This space is your elevator pitch and should be tweaked for specific jobs or be a general summary of you if uploaded into company databases. It must be readable in 30 seconds, and ideally, you want someone to pick up the phone when they've read it, thinking, "I have to find out more". Although many advise writing in the third person, it resonates more when written in the first.
Your most recent roles. For each role, enter Job title, Department, Organisation, Month Year to Month Year. This simple format shows the key information the recruiter needs.
4-5 key bullet points of achievements. Start each bullet with Delivered, Won, Launched, Built, Sold, etc. and focus on the outcome of what you did, not the activity. For example, people want to know you launched a product that got 1000 sales in the first week, not that you wrote documents and emails. Keep each bullet to 2 or 3 lines maximum.
You should have room for two or three roles on the first side of the sheet. Done well, the recruiter knows who you are, how to contact you, what you've most recently done, and what you've achieved. If they can do that in one sheet of A4, it shows you are capable of presenting clearly and concisely.
Page 2
Never go past the end of page 2. If printed for an interview, you want everything on one piece of paper.
Continue for another two or three roles in the same format. Depending on your circumstances, showing more than ten years of experience will likely be irrelevant. For example, if you have worked at a single employer for 20 years, it's fine to show that but focus on the last five years. What you did in the early 2000s won't be of interest today. If you are a contractor, only focus on the most relevant roles for the job you're looking for.
Key Skills. Enter a comma-separated list of skills, mainly for the benefit of search engines and databases. Don't put more than eight skills, as this isn't credible. Equally, leave out irrelevant things. I recently saw someone provide me with a list of perhaps twenty programming languages as skills, and it couldn't be the case that they were experts in all of them. They wanted to say they were an experienced developed, which would have sufficed.
Qualifications and Certifications. Enter one per line in the order of Highest qualification (e.g. MSc, BEng). Include any relevant technical or professional qualifications (e.g. HGV, CIMA, PRINCE2, etc.) but don't duplicate.
Relevant training. If you have specific training in a hot topic, include it, but don't go overboard. Don't add the Excel 2003 course you did in 2005.
Finally, add any relevant outside interests (e.g. Chair of the board, non-executive roles, counsellor, team soccer coach)
Don't include references unless specifically asked to. It wastes precious space, and you lose control of who might contact your referees.
Page 3
As I previously wrote, don't go onto page 3. Ever.
Summary
CVs have three purposes:
To find you in a database search run by a recruiter.
To act as a "first screen" by hiring managers, who are often short on time and attention.
To serve as a "map" of you for interviewers so that they can ask relevant questions.
For all three purposes, it is critical to stay simple, focused, and celebrate your achievements. Please resist the temptation to show off your design skills or write about every last thing you've done in your career—they have the opposite effect on your intention.
Good luck writing your CV. It summarises your professional life, so treat it as such. Take care of it, keep it updated, and it'll pay you back when needed.
FAQs
Should I format a CV with tables to make them look good?
No. The more complicated the formatting, the harder your CV will be to read by automated engines and people like me, who see a version of your CV that the recruitment software has reformatted. The tables look terrible.
Should I use a CV writing service?
I have spoken to strong advocates for both opinions. My view is "No" for two reasons. First, you must tweak your CV for every job you apply for, so this becomes an expensive service. Secondly, only you know your life and what's relevant. Whilst you can get a good outcome with a CV writer, learning the skill yourself is a better long-term bet. However, a colleague recently showed me her professionally created CV, which read well. They taught her where to amend it for new opportunities. If you use a service, ensure they spend time with you to understand your career.
Should I use Grammarly/an AI writer for my CV?
Yes, always! However, don't let it control you. It will always deliver grammatically correct sentences but often chooses a bland way to present your writing. Remember that it's you we're hiring, not an AI assistant.
How do I deal with lots of short contracts in my CV?
It depends on the type of role and your profession. In my industry, working through multiple major release cycles of a project or product in less than a couple of years is almost impossible, so short tenures are a red flag. I advise staying where you are for at least two years, the maximum tenure for a contractor in many countries. It shows you don't quit, and your employer doesn't quit you.
I've only been out of university for a short time. What should I emphasize in my CV?
If you're recently out of university (<5 years), we seek evidence that you did more than just your studies. Did you contribute back to your students, participate in activities, work or do anything notable? If so, ensure you add it to show us your spark of energy and leadership.
What accomplishments should I include on my resume?
Ensure the information on your CV is accurate, and practice narrating the related stories. During a good interview, you will be prompted to elaborate on the accomplishments you listed. Therefore, consider the connection between your professional journey, CV content, and interview responses.
I have been working informally in a role. How do I explain that in my CV?
One other thing to consider is whether you need to formalise some skills. A good example is if you have been informally running projects for the last five years. If that's you, consider getting qualified. I chose not to, but I was formally in charge and had stories to back it up. Be careful to select an appropriate qualification path. For example, international companies may demand an international qualification rather than a country-specific one.
How many versions of my CV should I have?
I had four versions of my CV, tailored for four different job types but with 80% similar information. That felt a lot to manage, but I succeeded in getting through to several recruiters.
Please ask me other questions via the contact form, and I'll add the answers here.
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