Creating a concise CV, what’s the key?
The general consensus is that the optimum length for a great CV is two pages of A4, but if you’ve got a long career history and lots of information to share, how can you condense this into just two sides, while still getting your message across clearly?
“We do a lot of work with candidates on crafting individual CVs and we work really hard to help candidates to look at things from the employer’s perspective,”explains accountancy recruitment specialist Justin Murray of Norwich based Big Sky Additions. “Recruiters often have a number of CVs to sift through so yours needs to be short and sharp, almost like a piece of personal marketing material that advertises your services to potential employers,” continues Justin, who recruits for Contract and Permanent Accountancy jobs in Norfolk.
Here are Justin’s six top tips for cutting your CV down to size:
- Cut down older roles to a brief summary or better still bullet point format – your recent roles should contain the most detail to show the added value you can bring to a company.
- Read the job advert carefully and match your skills and experience to the advertised role, filtering out the elements that aren’t being asked for.
- Clearly state your responsibilities and experience so that they can be easily recognised and ticked off – a complex and poorly structured CV can be tiresome to read.
- Avoid cliches like “great team player” – instead highlight occasions where you have demonstrated these skills and include details of the results.
- Don’t waste space with detailed personal information like your full address and location of each employer and try to use a font that is easier on the eye without colouring and avoid tables and images that can take up too much space.
- Keep hobbies and interests down at the bottom of your CV and only include information that is relevant to the role or significant sporting achievements for example.
t: 01603 516230
e: justin@bigskyadditions.co.uk
