Every #CharityTuesday we offer free guidance and tips on CVs so do call us if you have any questions.
I personally do not know many people who actually enjoy writing their CVs. Many of us tend to do it at the last minute in moments of desperation and just at the start of their job search. In my opinion a CV is like a fine wine. You need time and effort to really make it special.
We see many CVs with the exact same lists of words to describe their daily tasks (diary management/travel management/expenses) which is absolutely fine as these responsibilities are probably an important part of your role. However, I recommend you use other terms just to make it a little more personal. For example, instead of writing “travel management” you could replace it with “organisation of multi-destination travel itineraries”. This means that you organised complex travel and that you did not just book a return train ticket to Oxford. The same goes for the profile summary at the top of your professional experience. It should be short but witty and include your main skills as well as what type of role you are looking for. That’s also where you can add your biggest professional achievement(s). Try not to oversell yourself as this will come across as desperate and not really realistic. Make it succinct but positive and try not to Google too many CVs before you start writing yours as you will end up using the same old words without even knowing.
When it comes to the format simple is more. I would stick to the usual fonts such as Calibri, Arial, or Times New Roman; and use bullet points. Try make it as clear as possible: “Since a prospective employer is looking at the [CV] for only a few seconds, you want a font that is aesthetically pleasing and grabs the employer’s attention at a quick glance,” said Wendi Weiner, a certified professional résumé writer and founder of The Writing Guru. Indeed, make sure the spacing is right and number your pages. Stick to black and white too, and do not bother with graphs and drawings. Keep it as simple and neat as possible.
And finally…make sure you spell check the whole document before you save it. A simple typo could make you miss out on your dream job.
Marion Barry- Founder
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