Help me nail my CV, at least help me make it better!

rIcK

rIcK

rIcK

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5 Jan 2004
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Currently I am looking for different employment, over the past month I have been attempting to get my CV to a standard to which I am happy with! I have had many prettier looking versions with lots of whitespace I've also had the most condensed version you could imagine. Hopefully I have found a happy medium. Having gone through various revisions, read tonnes of conflicting advice from various different sources I could do with the opinions of some intelligent people such as the people who use this forum :)

I will take any feedback graciously and attempt to improve on it. So is anyone willing to give me a bit of a hand?

Currently it sits at just over 3 pages *however* the "skills" bit is purposely over the top allowing me to cut out depending on the job which I am applying for bringing it nicely down to 2 pages! Also the 2 sections at the bottom (Self Improvement and About Me) I will probably remove!

http://www.boxrick.com/cvblanked.doc *Edit now removed from server*

So do your worst and cheers in advance!

*************Edit 1*****************

Updated and changed some content based on feedback :

http://www.boxrick.com/cvnewblanked.doc *Edit now removed from server*
 
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You have quite a lot of interesting stuff to advertise about yourself. But there is also a lot of unnecessary things in your CV. I'd separate it in sections i.e. Education, Employments, Extra and think of most important things you'd like to tell in each section. It's good, but there is just too much information and important bits get lost.
 
Instant impression - that is horrific to look at, the text is way too grouped together and the margins are too small. That also looks like way too much information for a CV. Employers often have hundreds or thousands of CVs to get through, they don't want an essay to read for each one.
 
Cheers for the feedback guys. I was thinking along those lines but needed confirmation. Will try another revision.

Difficult cutting things out and getting someones attention which is obviously quite important.
 
Remember the CV just gets them interested so you're invited in for interview.

It's not a place to list everything you have ever done or are good at.

Go for 2 pages and larger margins!
 
OK the content is OK but the layout is terrible.
First thing they read is that you have a driving licence... not really that difficult.

Personally I think you need to:
  • Put your employment first
  • reduce the skills section to less than half a page
  • put education after your most relevant employments, i only just realised you had a degree
  • make sure the whole CV is less than 2 pages
  • make it look a bit more interesting, use different fonts, sizes and break it up more visually into sections
  • use examples to support your skills
 
I'm no expert but you're trying to sell your skills on there, unless you want a taxi job why say you have a driving licence as your first bullet point?
 
Hamish said:
OK the content is OK but the layout is terrible.
First thing they read is that you have a driving licence... not really that difficult.

Personally I think you need to:
  • Put your employment first
  • reduce the skills section to less than half a page
  • put education after your most relevant employments, i only just realised you had a degree
  • make sure the whole CV is less than 2 pages
  • make it look a bit more interesting, use different fonts, sizes and break it up more visually into sections
  • use examples to support your skills
Click to expand...

Pretty much this, employment then education then skills. Possibly include a profile section first of all, but that is generally a sentence of buzzwords etc.
 
1) Too much text - just bc you have done a lot doesnt mean you should put it in a cv
2) 2 pages max!
3) You have no CV intro: something like "A self motivated blah blah seeking work in the blah blah industry" - helps set the tone.
4) your job descriptions are too long - nobody is going to read that. 1-3 lines max.
5) remove the driving license, about me sections - As an employer I don't give a **** that you like biking or AV, all I care about is whether you can do the job.
 
iamtheoneneo said:
1) Too much text - just bc you have done a lot doesnt mean you should put it in a cv
2) 2 pages max!
3) You have no CV intro: something like "A self motivated blah blah seeking work in the blah blah industry" - helps set the tone.
4) your job descriptions are too long - nobody is going to read that. 1-3 lines max.
5) remove the driving license, about me sections - As an employer I don't give a **** that you like biking or AV, all I care about is whether you can do the job.
Click to expand...


CV intro is my covering letter... I do not want to space waste on here with that. Unless you think otherwise?

I have taken onboard much of what has been posted here and made it a little better looking (ie more white space). I have left the employment history mainly intact because is that not "proof" of what I am essentially claiming in the skills bit?

http://www.boxrick.com/cvnewblanked.doc

Anyway how are things looking now?
 
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When I asked for CV critique a while back, it was generally thought that the personal statement is worthwhile on a CV.

I think I agree, as the covering letter is a separate entity to the CV, and the CV is a document that may be referred to in the future if kept on file. I don't believe this is always the case with the covering letter.

Here is mine:

http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/59074811?access_key=key-1ktmzn8s4idqi2aucxjx

It has changed veeeeeery slightly, and I've had rather a lot of interest in it so far from recruiters (including compliments on it) and a couple of companies.

As said above, yours seems a little to crammed in. Try to keep it as succint as possible without losing information. Pare away anything that's not really relevant. It's far easier said than done though!
 
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Did a course on CV skills once, first impression of yours is horrid. Not content wise just bad on the eyes. A rule of thumb is that a CV can be read over in two minutes max.

1) About me - 3-4 lines selling yourself but make it relevant. If fitness and outdoor pursuit is required for the job great otherwise don't bother telling them you enjoy cycling. Start with some action words, example; "A hard working and reliable individual capable of working on his own initiative...."

2) Current employement - you have got this just about spot on but REMEMBER if you say you "Achieved highest level of profit" a good interviewer will pick straight up on this and somewhere in the interview they will throw it straight in and ask "How did you achieve...." Be quick with the answer and don't stumble like you have no idea what he is talking about.

3) Schooling:

4) Interests 2-3 lines

Most importantly a covering letter... Dear Mr XYZ It was of great interest to me that you are currently seeking a .......

I would like to take this opportunity in enclosing my current CV from which I would like to highlight the relevant points;

1)
2)
3)
4)

No more than four and make them relevant to the job advert. I had 4-5 varied CV's and cover letters all differing slightly.

End the letter in a positive manner with something like "I look forward to hearing from you in the near future where we can discuss the benefits I can bring to your organisation".. Don't use words like 'hope'.

Finally call the place you are seeking to send the CV and get a name to address it to. To The Manager or To Mr Smith will get very different responses. Just like your own mail, you always open a letter addressed to you where letters addressed "to the home owner" get trashed straight away.

**EDIT** Just read number two, much better but you need your introduction at the top my point number one, the first three lines to sell yourself to the person reading the CV

danza said:
When I asked for CV critique a while back, it was generally thought that the personal statement is worthwhile on a CV.
Click to expand...
Agreed VERY important as far as we were always taught and it has always worked well for me.
 
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Been attempting a Personal Statement, certainly not easy:

This is what I have come up with so far:

A highly-motivated and reliable individual capable of working on my own initiative. I am enthused by working with other people as part of a team. I welcome challenges and work well under pressure and thrive on learning new skills. With a passion for computers and 9 years experience of IT along with over 4 years in a Customer Service role, I have a finely tuned technical ability in both hardware and software and a proven track record of providing exemplary levels of customer service to a broad range of customers, as such I believe I can be a great asset to your company.
I am looking to secure a position in a company where I can bring immediate technical benefits and expand my skill set.
Click to expand...
 
Not saying it's bad, but you start off writing in third-person then switch to first-person. I'd keep it all in third, it's more difficult to get sentences to work but it reads better than "I am... I did... I have" and so on.

Also I dunno what job you're going for by reading that, other than it's probably going to be related to IT. Maybe change that last sentence to the suit the role.

e.g. This technical experience in a commercial IT environment, along with an eagerness to further develop skills in this field, provides a sound basis for a role in desktop, network and application support.

Don't write that though, it's crappy.
 
I was slammed for writing an early iteration of my CV personal statement in third person, so I'll have to disagree. :o
 
I would just say "x GSCE's and x A levels at pass grade." Instead of listing several.

I'm sure someone has already probably mentioned the "They read 80% of page 1, and 20% of page 2 and 0% of page 3"

I always have mine at one and a half pages max. I have to read CV's a lot and generally its the first page I'm interested in only.
 
I would have to agree all third person. Think about it as the subconscious side of things. The guy reading it, make him feel he is reading a third party report about someone...

Saying "I am" is you telling him... I know it sounds a little silly because either way it is you writing everything down but make the guy with your CV in his hand feel that he is reading a glowing report about someone rather than someone telling him how great they are.

The same as the covering letter and "I hope to here from you" compared to "I look forward to discussing this further at your earliest convenience" - One you are hopeful the other you are politely telling him you ARE looking forward to a meeting and it IS going to happen.
 
I have rewritten it all in first person, I guess it depends on the person...

How is this looking anyway:-

With 9 years experience in IT and over 4 years in Customer Service I bring a wide breadth of skills and experience to this role. I am a highly-motivated and reliable individual with a passion for computers, both capable of working on my own initiative and enthused by working with other people. I welcome challenges, work well under pressure and thrive on learning new skills.
I have a finely tuned technical ability in both hardware and software and a proven track record of providing exemplary levels of customer service, therefore I believe I will be a great asset to your company. I am looking to secure a position in a company where I can bring immediate technical benefits and expand my skill set.
Click to expand...
 
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