The Art Of Writing A Good Cv...

[Fizz]

There was a post on another forum of a chap asking for advice on how to create a new CV as he has been with the same company over 13 years in the IT field progressing through different roles.

Now some of the replies have been great and thought it maybe of some help for others generally...

I thought my CV was as good as i could get it but after reading the thread i realised mine could do with a revision!

Anyway.. thought i would quote some of the posts from that thread.

don't fall into the trap of a lot of techies, and list off pages of technical skills, programming environments and TLAs.

instead tailor the CV to mention only the technical skills directly relevant to the job you are applying for.

Also, talk about the benefits you've delivered, not just the position. So instead of saying "IT Manager for three years", say "As IT Manager, I increased efficiency by x%, and succesfully increased the team to cope with company growth while maintaining high service levels to customers. in the last year I successfully managed the integration of a new system X, whilst downgrading the previous system. This was done on time and budget, without any loss of service."

Talk about the responsibilities you have, and give a sense of size/scope - mentioning team sizes, budgets, number of customers and sites.

You're trying to give the reader an understanding of the scale you can manage, and the things you've achieved for the business.

My 2pennorth on this topic is to really think about what the document is for, and then let that dictate how you structure it. Put yourself in the position of the reader. They use the CV to find out about someone who is currently a stranger. They are using it to get to know you, so think about the process of getting to know someone. How it happens, and try to gear your CV to that...

Getting to know someone is like a bit like (making love to a beautiful woman) painting a picture. You don't start at one corner & progressively work down to the opposite corner, at which point you're finished...

Getting to know someone (and reading a CV) starts with the obvious things you spot straight off, hair, eyes, height, bodyshape voice etc... and progresses by then refining the detail on each of them... So start your CV with the broad strokes, and then gradually refine them as you get further down the document.

At first, the very basics. Only a few, and quick punchy statements, no more than a line each. This is my name, this is who i am, this is what I do now, this is the type of person i am, these are the things that interest me. Then expand a bit... These are my qualifications, these are my core skills, gained over this number of years... I would next talk more about your personality. Interests, attitudes to things. Brag here basically, about yourself as a person. It's bound to be more interesting to read than a career history, and is certainly more relevant (now that they've read the fundamentals about your skills and qualifications).

Next go in REVERSE chronological order on the job history. They are bound to be more interested in your current job than in previous ones, so start with this one and write a bit more about it. Don't write screeds though, or repeat yourself. Also don't bullet or put any lists in this part, write it properly (you'd be amazed how many people look for good written English, and how few people can demonstrate it). This is key... Don't prescribe everything... you've done the lists part already. Instead of "I have good written English skills" (which they read on every CV), demonstrate them. Writing the job history is about making it interesting and not a chore to read, as much as it's about selling how amazing you are...

If you use the job title & the dates you worked there as a heading, another idea to subheading the main skills gained in that job (just quickly). That way it ties in with the earlier pages, they can see at a glance which from your mains skills list are more current etc etc... it also shows you've thought about how the thing reads, and making it hang together as a document...

Writing a good, innovative CV is not about logos or fonts or content as much as it's about telling them the things they want to know in the order they want to know them, and with the appropriate amount of detail at each stage. If you can do that, then the chances are the reader will like you before they've even met you.