The perfect CV

You’ve identified your dream job, found a vacancy and are about to submit an application. So how do you go about putting together a CV that will guarantee you an interview? Most advertised positions are oversubscribed, and many are very oversubscribed, so never expect a recruiter to do your work for you. Your priority is to put together a document that rapidly communicates your suitability for the role — do this well, and an employer will be only to happy to put your application in the interview pile. It sounds simple, but most people forget at least one of the five crucial elements for a killer CV. Make sure yours isn’t one of them.

1. Proof read, double-check, and triple-check for errors

Yes, it’s an obvious point — but you would be amazed how many CVs employers receive with typos and spelling mistakes. According to a nationwide survey of recruitment professionals carried out by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, 47% said that out of all the CVs they received, 50% contained grammatical errors, with the worst offenders in the 21-25-year-old age group. For a recruiter with a mountain of CVs to work through, even one small error is a welcome reason to file an application in the pile marked “dustbin”.

2. Keep it short, short, short

Almost every recruiter we spoke to begged candidates to keep their CV’s to the point. And when you have hundreds of them to plough through, less is more. You might feel that a few pages isn’t enough to fit in all your experience, but you’re demonstrating your ability to edit as well as showcase by keeping it concise. “The perfect CV should be ideally two pages long,” says Alexis Partridge, who runs his own recruitment agency. “Three is acceptable if one has lots of years experience. But when writing a CV remember you are selling yourself on paper so keep it short, relevant and as interesting as possible.”

3. Honesty is the best policy

It is tempting to massage details to fit a role, and there’s nothing wrong with editing your experience to offer the most relevance to a recruiter. But when it comes to outright “mistruths” about qualifications or past experience, don’t be tempted. “If you lie in your CV you will eventually get caught out” says Lucy Hampton, Director of Plus 1 Recruitment. “With the help of the Freedom of Information Act, employers are checking information such as exam results and qualifications more thoroughly now.”

4. Stand-out from the crowd

With 300 black and white two-page CVs to get through, a cleverly creative approach can brighten an employer’s day. Examples that have made it through the door include a boxed plastic doll of the potential employee, marketed as a super-hero — with their employable qualities written on the box. And one creative applicant seeking work with an events company put together an “invitation” to employ her, complete with party poppers and streamers. For job-seekers in more conservative fields, a good layout and use of bulletpoints and colour (even if it’s only shades of grey) makes you look individual while still being professional.

5. Tailor to fit

Recruiters often imagine themselves objective, but they can be incredibly subjective with their preferences. So, while Noel Marshall from recruitment agency Finance Professionals believes a personal summary including hobbies and interests gives recruiters a flavour of your personality, headhunter Andrew Baber of Planning for People thinks that personal summaries are “white noise” which no-one ever reads. You can’t be expected to know the unique preferences of an employer in advance, but as much research as possible should help you gain an idea of company outlook. A CV should be re-written to suit every position you apply for. And never send an identikit version to multiple employers by email. Recruiters really object to being spammed by cut and paste CVs.