How best to write a CV?

L.Jenkins

I have written my own CV and revised it on numerous occasions. I suppose I'd be shocked at the number of revisions, that's if I kept track. I have had much success in recent years securing interviews and jobs, but a week never goes by when I am job hunting, that I've been asked to re-write it according to a recruiters layout or set standard.

What I am trying to highlight is, what is the best way to write a CV, that is as close to catch all, as possible. The thread could be a useful tool to those currently seeking employment, in gaining a better understand of what recruiters and potential employers actually want to see.

The current layout I use at the moment is:

• Name and address.
• Education - College only. (Course of Study, Award (B.Eng, B.Sc, H.Cert, etc) and dates of study)
• College Projects. (Dissertation and Thesis, Technologies used and stating team based project or individual project)
• Employment and length of time starting with the most recent. (Describing each role and the skills used in each)
• Then to round out the CV, I include additional languages spoken and interests.

When I am being interviewed, each interview focuses primarily on my education and work experience, rarely drawing on my College based projects. Advice I've been given by recruiters is, to list technologies and skills used under a separate heading, only describing each role under employment, my duties, reporting structures, client facing skills where possible and how I interact with other team members.

Does anyone have any tips or advice on whether I should bite the bullet and change the format I use, and what is the best approach to outline my education, skills and experience for better results.

Creamy Goodness

Are you in IT? From seeing some of your other posts in Work & Jobs I seem to have an inkling that you are.

I'd move your employment above your education. The reason I say this is the person who reads your C.V. will be more interested in your experience and who you have worked for in the past. They may know someone in that company and decide to have a coffee with them. Your college information and projects are less important and should be reflected in the flow of your C.V.

No doubt someone else will come along and contradict me be sure we all have differing views/opinions on this stuff :pac:

If you're asked by recruiters to rewrite/restructure your C.V. that's something that is possibly very specific to that recruiter. I've never came across that and I have dealt with recruiters before but all the jobs I've got/taken have been from C.Vs I mailed myself to the company.

L.Jenkins

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

Are you in IT?...

...No doubt someone else will come along and contradict me be sure we all have differing views/opinions on this stuff...

I do work in IT. I'm a Software Engineer. What I'm trying to point out, not only for myself, but others as well, is the general consensus on how a CV should flow.

I suppose, starting with a detailed work history, describing each role could be a good start, leaving skills under a different sub-heading. What I notice is, the flow of conversation in an interview and it always starts with Employment. So it's a very good point.

Creamy Goodness

also think of it this way too.

Example:
2009 - 2013 Facebook.
2006 - 2009 Google.

this instantly trumps your education for me and if it's above your education, I may just stop reading, you've worked a substantial time (and survived :P) in 2 well-known companies and your education becomes less relevant .

A wise man told me once (can't remember who) but a year professional experience is worth 2 years of college* (if not more I'd say).

* Was focused on IT degrees, I assume it's somewhat similar in other disciplines.

L.Jenkins

I've always found that professional experience trumps education for some roles I've applied for, but it's mainly in the details relating to each role though. You need to give as much information as humanly possible in your experience.

Colonel Panic

For development jobs I've been going with:

Technical skills summary - Here I list languages and frameworks
Employment - Details about what I did in each role
Education - The usual

That's certainly what I've liked to see in the past when I've interviewed people.

Mr. Loverman

For my college stuff I use bullet points, but I don't do something pointless like list projects. I list what I accomplished. For example, for my masters thesis I reinvented the elliptic curve cryptography algorithms (impressive to IT/maths people), got a 4.0 GPA and won an academic award. This tells the reader I am not average. In fact it normally intimidates them a bit and from then on it is assumed I am technically excellent. Mission accomplished.

But let's assume you are average and you feel you haven't accomplished much. The key is to turn on your sales switch and look for the things you can sell. Delivered your project early? I'd mention that. (Early delivery of XYZ). Wrote a nice manual for your project? I'd mention that too. (Praised for detailed business analysis and well documented user manual). Etc. Basically you need to show you can get **** done.

The same is true for your work experience. Each bullet point should impress the reader. Don't just list tasks - list your achievements for each task.

kryptonmight

Colonel Panic wrote: »

For development jobs I've been going with:

Technical skills summary - Here I list languages and frameworks
Employment - Details about what I did in each role
Education - The usual

That's certainly what I've liked to see in the past when I've interviewed people.

This is how mine is laid out too and I also work in IT.

I usually have bullet points of what my job tasks have been but I have had the odd recruitment agent ask me to make small changes to try and emphasise specific skills for specific jobs that I'm applying for. But in those cases its usually just re-jigging the existing bullet points and bringing the more specific ones (for the particular role I'm going for) to the top of the list.

Eoin

Unless you're only out of college, I'd be inclined to put employment ahead of education - unless for some reason, the college stuff is way more relevant to what you want to do. Then again, I've very little 3rd level education, so I'd obviously not want to lead with that!

Mr. Loverman wrote: »

I don't do something pointless like list projects. I list what I accomplished

This is a good point - a lot of people just copy in the duties from the job spec, rather than the results of their work.

Itzy wrote:

I have written my own CV and revised it on numerous occasions. I suppose I'd be shocked at the number of revisions, that's if I kept track

Regular revisions to your CV is a good thing!

x43r0

Mine goes:

Name/Email/Phone
Personal Summary (Masters graduate with x years experience in IT within Investment Banking working on 100m+ projects/ Experience gained in the following areas in the Bank/Professionally certied by x)
Employment History (Heading for each position detailing company, time period and location/Bullets for detail)
Education
Other Relevant Info

I used to be against the idea of a personal summary at the top but a CV review crowd I had a session with recommended it. I think it's fine as long as it's factual and relevant/tailored to the job you're applying to

Mr. Loverman

I don't like personal summary sections in CVs.

I believe that stuff should be in your cover letter, and should be written in a way which sells yourself.