The Art of CV Writing FAQs
Updated. Originally published January 18th 2021
The Art of CV Writing FAQs
Here are some answers to common questions I get asked on CV Writing.
Writing the perfect CV is an art form and potentially a never-ending pursuit. Your CV is never a finished document – your life moves on as does the world around you and thus so should your CV.
Do I have to change my CV every time I apply for a position? Furthermore, do I have to make major changes every time I do so?
You have probably heard it said over and over again that you should tailor your CV to every position you apply for – so how many of you actually know what that means?
It’s not an easy thing to do and because it’s time consuming, what many people fall into the trap of doing is that they simply change the header to be more like the position they are applying for. I can understand that, it’s taken everything you have to get this one CV to a point you’re happy with and now you need to make it fit something else. Sometimes sitting down and trying to just find the words to sell yourself is mind-blowingly difficult.
Unfortunately for you though, the ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) used by many companies these days will probably catch you out. If you would like to know more about ATS systems and how they work I would definitely recommend checking out my recent blog on the subject here.
So, having a different CV for each position you apply for is a must I am afraid. Basically speaking you should look at each position on your CV and think about what you did in those positions which relate to the position you are applying for. Don’t simply try to twist the words that are already in there! You will probably have to change each statement entirely – and don’t fall into the trap of simply listing responsibilities! Recruiters know what you did in your day job – but they don’t know what made you so good at it!
You need to match the same vocabulary from the Job Description. So, if it mentions customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, sales portfolio, customer services, customer relations – you need to have these words oozing from your CV also. In doing this exercise, make doubly sure that there is something in each position that links them all together through this ‘main theme’ of your new job title. You don’t want it to look like you have randomly linked 5 different jobs together. Once you have done this task – is it clear on a first glance that this is what you do? If you have to go digging into your CV to figure out what you actually do and who you are – something is wrong.
Can I not just put my entire career timeline in my CV?
You have 6 seconds to grab the attention of your audience and will them to read your entire CV document – potentially less if an ATS is checking it! That 6 seconds can be taken up with looking at your format, the layout, checking your header and skimming for important detail related to the position. First impressions are everything. Get a good, clear and basic format. The trickier the format, the more likely the ATS software will spit it out and you won’t be filtered through.
When people ask about putting in detail from their entire career – the answer is this…will the reader want to read it all? People, nowadays, more than ever before, have excruciatingly short attention spans. If you want to keep your reader’s attention limit the number of positions you include but make them super relevant.
The rule for executive CVs is that anything older than 10 years on your CV is no longer relevant. Obviously there will be situations where this is just not possible – so if you had one position in the same company for a long period of time, you should add something else from prior to this. If you had a career gap to take care of your family for a while you might want to go back a bit further in time. Be aware of the length of your document and where the focus lies for the particular post for which you are applying though.
How long should my CV be?
An English language CV should be written on 2 x A4 pages and a French language CV over 1 x A4 page. This is a challenge on both counts, especially if you have a lot of experience – but the key is not to pack your CV full of information about everything you have ever done – the key is to be concise and clear about what you have done which is pertinent for this role! A French CV contains far less ‘flowery’ descriptive language than an English one so tends to be far more to the point.
There are individual cases for having a longer CV from time to time, perhaps a Company Director for example. These cases are few and far between.
What order should my CV be in?
Generally speaking, you should always write your CV sections in chronological order backwards from the present time with clear dates. Start with a Personal Summary/ Statement, Work Experience, Qualifications & Training, Skills and any extras you wish to add in. A French CV would have the Skills section further towards the top.
Should I add my photograph, date of birth & nationality?
When doing an English Language CV, I now recommend you not to put in your nationality, date of birth nor photograph. This means that your CV can’t be negated due to bias on the part of the recruiter; because of the way you look, your age or cultural background.
French CVs traditionally include these things as well as marital status for example. However, again this is something that will change over the coming years as companies understand greater needs for fairer recruitment practices.
If somebody is particularly set on having a photograph in their CV, I would say that your CV is a personal document – nobody can ultimately tell you what you must or must not have in there – so if you are happier with a photograph and more personal detail in there that is fine; just be aware of the possible consequences.
Should I put in my hobbies and references?
Most people I write CVs for don’t tend to have space on it for hobbies. Certainly as a recruiting manager it is not something I have ever looked for specifically in a candidate. However, for younger candidates who don’t yet have a great deal of experience, having hobbies listed is important because it tells the reader more about you as a person. It can infer a skill set such as communication skills, presentation skills, technical and analytical ability and suchlike, which can be useful depending on the role. Therefore, from my perspective, it’s not a must have, likewise references. If and when your recruiter has reached the point of asking for references you can supply the most pertinent ones. Don’t waste space by putting these into your CV.
What if I don’t have any experience?
Everybody has experience, one way or another, even if you are a school leaver without work experience to speak of. Think about everything you have done to gather skills outside of school or college – were you in any clubs/ groups? Did you undertake any volunteering work? Did you do work experience, even a short one, whilst at school? Did you do chores in exchange for pocket money as you were growing up? What did you learn from each of these experiences?
If you are even finding it difficult to answer these questions it would also be a good idea to start to get some other types of experience to add to your CV. Volunteer to do some work with a charity at the weekend for example. Can you do some work shadowing with your parent’s friends? Which groups are you a part of – is this something you can supplement?
How should I handle employment gaps?
This is an interesting one and nowadays employers are seeing employment gaps more and more frequently on CVs. They know that this is not necessarily a negative factor and especially for busy executives many companies are starting to expect to see a bit of a gap on there due to many factors. If your employment gap is recent, it is something you would definitely refer to in your Cover Letter.
Any employment gaps which happened more than 10 years ago are no longer relevant on your CV anyway. So, to answer this question, the gap may not necessarily stop you being shortlisted for a post, but you will still need to be prepared to discuss those at interview.
These are a few of the most frequently asked questions I receive when people are putting together their winning CVs. It’s a difficult task but when you find the best ingredients and put them together it will give you such a confidence boost. There is so much to consider when writing your CV, so I do hope that you will find his useful when creating yours.
If you are struggling, please feel free to send me a message and we can have a chat about it. I am happy to give some help and advice online. I also offer a CV Health Check which gives me the opportunity to give you some feedback on your CV. Then, of course, if you like what you see I can write your CV for you. Lots of people I come across find it much easier to have somebody else help them to sell themselves. If this is the case for you, do not hesitate to get in touch.