CV writing tips

To ensure your CV makes the best possible impression, it’s essential to meet six challenges regarding its presentation, format and content.

1. Presentation

Since your CV is actually a marketing document, its visual appearance is critical. To survive next to those hundreds of equally qualified candidates, it must look sharp and dynamic.

Be conservatively distinctive. Choose a sharp-looking typeface such as Bookman or Verdana, or if your font selection is limited, Times Roman, Helvetica or Arial typefaces.

Unless you’re seeking a position as a graphic artist or supermodel, don’t put logos, artwork or photos of yourself on your CV.

2. Format

Format shouldn’t be your primary consideration when preparing a CV. Decide on a CV format after your text is prepared. And even then, don’t try to make your information fit into a particular structure. Since your career history, achievements and academic background are unique, your CV format should be as well. Review other CVs for ideas, but craft your document to “sell” only you.

Start writing without worrying about the format and concentrate on marketing yourself. It’s likely that when you’re finished, the format you should use will become obvious. You’ll just need to change headings or margins, include bold or italic type or edit sections to fit your information more comfortably onto a page.

If possible, adhere to these formatting guidelines:

• Don’t expect readers to struggle through 10- to 15- line paragraphs. Substitute two or three shorter paragraphs or use bullets to offset new sentences and sections.
• Don’t overdo bold and italic type. Excessive use of either defeats the purpose of these enhancements. For example, if half the type on a page is bold, nothing will stand out.
• Use nothing smaller than 10-point type. If you want employers to review your CV, make sure they don’t need a magnifying glass!
• Don’t clutter your CV. Everything you’ve heard about “white space” is true. Let your document “breathe” so readers won’t have to struggle through it.
• Use an excellent printer if printing your CV. Smudged, faint, heavy or otherwise poor quality print will discourage red-eyed readers.

3. Spelling, grammar and syntax

Typographical errors signal job-search death, especially for lawyers! It is important to understand that CVs serve as your introduction to employers, and indicate the quality of work you’ll produce. An imperfect document is not acceptable.

Write your document in the active first-person tense, never the third person, and choose language that’s appropriate to the type of position you’re seeking. Proofread your CV not just once or twice, but repeatedly for typographical and wording errors. Then ask friends to review it, paying attention to your terminology and tone.

4. Content

CVs are not job descriptions. List your past employment in reverse chronological order (i.e. most recent role first). List your responsibilities, their scope and your contributions.

If positions you held 15, 20, or 30 years ago aren’t relevant to your current career path, delete or briefly summarise them at the end. For example, “Previous professional employment includes several non-legal roles in retail whilst at University”.

5. Focus

A CV doesn’t work if readers can’t quickly grasp who a candidate is and what he or she seeks to do.

Clearly and directly state who you are. Omit an objective and start with a “summary” or “career or technical profile” instead. Unlike an objective, which states what you want, a summary describes what you know and quickly grabs readers’ attention. A summary eliminates the need for an objective because it usually indicates the type of position a candidate seeks. And don’t assume that stating your objective in a cover letter is sufficient. Cover letters and CVs must be able to stand alone.

6. Selling

A CV should be more than a list of past jobs. It should serve as a personal sales and marketing tool that attracts and impresses employers. Your qualifications, words, format and presentation must all be packaged to sell yourself.

Your CV is your only opportunity to distinguish yourself among the crowd of other candidates. You must market your qualifications aggressively by highlighting your achievements and defining the scope of your responsibilities. That means not just saying what you did but also how well you did it.

To create impressive descriptions, ask yourself not only what you did but how well you did it. Then sell your achievements, not your responsibilities.

Adapted from article by Wendy S. Enelow in the
National Business Employment Weekly (USA)