The million-dollar question. Is my cv too long? Does it look professional? How can I stand out?
All these questions we hear daily, there are no right or wrong answers, the most important thing is to be yourself. It needs to sound like YOU! Don’t make it too busy and make sure it’s easy on the eye, splitting it into easy to read sections and bullet points.
Not all jobs that you apply for are the same, so why should your CV be the same? Tailor your CV to each role you apply for, the impact this has is powerful.
Here is advice from our trained professionals on how we would right the perfect CV.
Contact Details
Make sure your name is at the top of the CV and in Bold (this needs to stand out)! Then, list below your city, contact number, email address & linked in
Personal Statement
Always start with a personal statement. This is your time to shine, highlighting some of your skills and achievements as well as your education and ambitions. For example, if you have completed your Level 3 AAT, explain your ambitions of becoming AAT Qualified. Or, if you are looking for more progression, state you are looking for progression. Remember to add your own personal touch making sure it sounds like you. Remember, this is not a cover letter so keep it short, powerful and snappy, giving you room for expansion in your actual interview.
Key Skills & Systems
This gives the employer a chance to glance over you key skills in the matter of seconds, if done in the right way, tailor this to the job you are applying for. List your key skills that are most appropriate for that job, as well as systems and software you also have experience in.
Work Experience
This is a key part to your CV, highlighting the companies you have worked for and your day to day duties, this can be the difference between getting offered an interview or not. If you are re-writing your CV for a certain role, make sure you have gone through the job spec in detail. List as many of the duties they are looking for as possible.
Make sure you list the company, your job title, sector and dates (see below for an example).
| Management Accountant | Stratton Prestige |
| Recruitment Firm | 2016 -Present |
We advise that you write a very short paragraph about the role, just 2 or 3 lines to bring it to life.
Then bullet point your Key Achievements.
This is powerful, by listing key achievements within the workplace, it shows confidence and that you go the extra mile! Examples below:
- After 6 months of working for Stratton, I was promoted to Management Accountant, where I am managing a team of 6
- Voted hardest working employee of 2019
- I project managed our system implementation
- Development fundraising Investment
If you are early in your career or struggle to list key achievements for each of your roles, try to hand pick 2 or 3 that you are proud of and list them in the Key Skills and Systems section.
Bellow your key achievements, bullet point your Responsibilities, this part is the most crucial for this section as it highlights your experience. Don’t sell yourself too short, take your time in writing this. There is nothing more frustrating than missing out on an interview because they feel you don’t have enough experience, even though you know you have. If you are struggling for ideas, have a look at the job specs on our website, feel free to remind yourself of responsibilities you may have experience in.
Education
This part of the CV is very self-explanatory, list your education as well as extra courses or rewards you may have taken or received.
Hobbies and interests
Don’t shy away from this one! Finding the right candidate is far greater than just your achievements and experience. Now days, employers look at personality as a massive contribution to you becoming the right candidate for their business. Express your interests and what you do in your down time.
References (Minimum of 2)
If at this stage you don’t feel comfortable giving references, it is ok to state “references on request”. However, if you do decide to list them, ensure you give at least 2.
On behalf of Stratton prestige, we hope you have found this useful. If you do have any further questions or would like to speak to one of our consultants, please reach out to us direct. We wish you all the best with your job search!