How to write a winning CV

Recruiters and employers often sift through hundreds of CVs for a single role. This FREE guide is designed to help you stand out by improving your chances of getting noticed. By following these tips, you can write a CV makes a lasting impression.

By following this guidance, you can create a winning CV that not only captures attention but also effectively communicates your skills, achievements, and potential to employers.

Choose a professional visual style and format

• Font choice: Use a clean, professional sans-serif font (e.g., Arial or Calibri) in size 10–12.
• Simplicity: Stick to black text on white paper, avoiding colours or unconventional fonts that may distract from your content.
• Optional photo: Including a photo is not essential but may be appropriate in some industries. If you choose to include one, ensure it is professional.

Maintain clarity and structure

Logical layout: Organise your CV with clear headings and sections to guide the reader seamlessly.

Highlight key information: Use bold text and bullet points to make significant details stand out, ensuring your CV is easy to skim.

Tailor your content!

Focus on relevance: Customise your CV for each role, prioritising the skills and experiences that align with the job description. Personalisation shows genuine interest and suitability.

Be concise

Length matters: Keep your CV to a maximum of two A4 pages. Recruiters / employers dont want to wade through pages of content to find what's relevant. This also ensures the content is concise, focused, and digestible.

Prioritise the top half of page 1

Recruiters will place 99% of their emphasis on the first half of the first page, so make this section count. Use it to showcase your most impactful achievements, core skills, and a strong personal profile.

Proofread!

Eliminate errors: Ensure your CV is free from spelling and grammatical mistakes. Use a spellchecker, and ask a trusted friend or colleague to review it for a second opinion.

What should be included?

1. Personal profile

Be impactful: Keep your personal profile brief and to the point. Highlight your skills, experience, and career aspirations while avoiding overused clichés, or writing in the third person tense (i.e. say "I am...").

2. Achievements

Quantify successes: Use metrics, timeframes, and outcomes to illustrate your accomplishments. For example:

• "Reduced staff turnover from 30% to 3% by enhancing communication systems and team morale."
• "Consistently achieved mystery shopper scores above 90%, earning recognition as Regional Customer Service Champion."

3. Career history

Reverse chronological order: Start with your most recent role, including dates, company names, locations, and brief summaries of responsibilities.

Concise responsibilities: List no more than 5 bullet points of key responsibilities and achievements for each role, focusing on relevance and impact.

Give it context: Provide additional details, such as team size, budgets, or project scope, to give context to your responsibilities.

4. Education and qualifications

Relevance first: Start with your most recent qualifications and include pertinent courses or training relevant to the role.

5. You outside of work

Include some non-work related content about you and your hobbies. Use them to highlight what makes you unique and talented.

6. References

Optional content: References are optional, as good employers will ask for them when needed. Balancing their inclusion is key to keeping your CV concise and within two pages.