A CV is your ticket to a face-to-face interview. Have you heard the saying ‘first impressions count’? Well, having a CV that represents you and your skills is the first step in presenting the best version of you, to your prospective employer.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how good a fit you are for the role; if your CV doesn’t impress you are unlikely to get an opportunity to shine in a face-to-face interview.
The aim is to produce a CV that sets out your education, experience and skills in a way that is clear, simple, easy to understand but interesting all at the same time. The format of your CV is key to communicating this and presenting the best version of yourself.
Tradtional vs. Creative
With a rise in digital and tech industries we have seen an increasing demand for a CV format that is a little “outside of the box”. These CVs, with original and imaginative designs, are a great way to stand out from the crowd and demonstrate your capabilities, but only work in relevant sectors such as marketing, graphic design or media. A creative CV is colourful, include drawings and may even have its own website. Infographics are also a great way to present information in an innovative way. If you use a creative CV in the wrong sector or industry (e.g. Financial Services or Law), you will hinder your chances in advancing to an interview.
All this said, traditional CVs would be recommended for the vast majority of sectors, particularly financial services, professional services, STEM or academic positions. A traditional format is a CV that is in chronological order, with clean and simple text that is easy to read and conveys your content in a professional manner.
What do I need to include?
A traditional CV is formatted in the following order:
- First Name and Surname
- Address
- Personal Statement
- Education
- Additional Knowledge/Skills/Strengths
- Employment History
- Volunteering Experience
- Hobbies and Interests
- References
If a creative CV is the best format for your selected career path, then try to ensure that you still capture all of the content noted above. Whilst it is super impressive to show off your design capabilities, remember that prospective employers still need to get to know you through a piece of paper.
How do I write a Personal Statement?
A personal statement demonstrates your talent, your passion and your brand. An ideal length is between 50 and 200 words so it doesn’t have to be the length of your coursework.
I have a very easy formula that will help you build a strong personal statement:
Introduce YOU
What are you passionate about? Make sure you link this to the opportunity you are seeking. Speak about your educational background and/or what previous work experience you have. it’s really important to focus on your transferrable skills, achievements and strengths.
What do you bring to the table?
Let them know what you can offer them. Again, transferrable skills are key, so focus on particular elements of knowledge or previous experience that would be relevant to this particular role.
Where do you want to be in 10 years?
Discuss your long-term career goals; companies want to know that you are taking this seriously and see a future with them.
But I don’t have any work experience! What do I write about?
If you haven’t had any jobs in the past or any volunteering experience, then DON’T PANIC! Whilst previous experience is a good way of proving certain capabilities and gaining relevant skills, it’s not the be all and end all.
With ANY CV it’s important that you tailor it to represent your suitability for each individual role, and the same applies without experience. A really good way of doing this is to focus on achievements and how this would help you in your role. This can be advantageous as it tends to provide a better insight into your character.
Joel Westley
joel@honestvoice.co.uk
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