Your 14 Point Checklist

When it comes to writing your CV, you need to be hard on yourself. We hate to break it to you, but reading your CV is a chore for any employer and, given the slightest excuse they’ll gladly bin it and move on to the next one. They don’t even need to feel guilty about this. After all, if you’re prepared to represent yourself with a document that contains clichés, typos or confusing language, why should they take you seriously as a candidate?

So treat your CV as a serious project. Put aside plenty of time and make it as good as it can possibly be. It’s like getting dressed up for a wedding – everything should be crisp, clean and elegantly turned out. Nothing less will do. The tips below should help you to get it in shape.

However, as well as avoiding the obvious pitfalls, you also need to make sure your CV contains the goods. This means understanding how the system works. For example, CVs are mostly scanned rather than read. The employer will look out for evidence of specific experience, relevant qualifications and certain key sentences that show understanding of the role. So you’ll need to tailor your CV accordingly.

There’s no need to become obsessive. Just put in the things the employer wants to see and leave out the things no one wants to see. In essence try and make it as easy as possible for someone to find what they need within your CV as quickly as possible so they gain a favourable overall impression of who you are and what you have to offer.

1)Make sure you have an up to date CV in Word or PDF format
Obvious, yes, but trust us on this: if your dream job suddenly came along, you really wouldn’t want to be staying up beyond midnight desperately updating a five year old CV. Also, by up to date I mean some time in the last 6 months at most.

2)Don’t get too ‘creative’
Take care that your CV is clearly formatted, so it’s easy to read and looks professional. For printed copies, use good quality white paper and plain fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman in black print. Avoid italics, underlining or lined borders.

Regarding electronic delivery, remember: anything that hinders the smooth delivery of your CV to the right person’s desk must be ruthlessly eliminated.

There are two particular problems with overly complex formats:
1. They don’t always look the same on someone else’s computer.
2. They take longer to download which may mean they never get there.

Make sure you give your CV the best possible chance to get read.

3)Try to keep it to 2 pages
If you can’t sell yourself in 2 pages then it’s unlikely you’ll do it in 3 or 4. Yes, your CV should be kept updated but, no, this doesn’t mean it must grow in length. Each time you add new detail at the front, remove or minimise less recent or less important experience.

4)Use clear, simple language that people understand
Avoid all abbreviations, acronyms and industry jargons unless they are absolutely standard and unavoidable within your particular working niche. Even then be careful and always veer towards the conservative side.

5)Check and check and check again
How often are you irritated by spelling or grammar mistakes in documents? What does it make you feel about the writer? If that writer was you, how do you think a prospective employer would feel? Not a comforting thought, is it. So make sure every word is correct. However, don’t be too hard on yourself. Checking your own text isn’t easy, computer spell checks are useful but inconsistent (sometimes even misleading). The best solution is to ask reliable friends or relatives to proof read the text for you. Another useful tip, if you’re not sure about a sentence, is to put it into Google with inverted commas either side. If it doesn’t appear anywhere there might be something wrong with it. If it comes up nine million times, it’s probably a cliché. However, friends, especially those with writing skills, will always be your best bet.

6)Personal information is no longer necessary
Following the introduction of the discrimination law in October 2006 it is no longer required to state your marital status, number of children or place of birth.

7)Keep your email address and voice messages professional
What amuses your friends is unlikely to impress a potential employer. A sense of humour is important but you must always lead on your professionalism.

8)Never, ever lie
You could lose your job or, worse, face legal action from your new employer. Perhaps in the past people got away with lying on their CV. No longer. Many companies now outsource their referencing department and there are strict procedures in place to ensure NOTHING goes unnoticed. If you’re unsure of details such as qualification grades then take the time to find them out, but under no circumstances should you try and guess them.

9)Don’t hide gaps in your CV
Instead, explain them. If a prospective employer discovers a gap they may be inclined to draw their own conclusions as to what you were doing and why you didn’t mention it. Don’t give them any opportunity to feel nervous or unsure about you.

10)Don’t enclose a photograph
Not unless specifically asked to do so. Unfortunately people can sometimes pre-judge on appearance. Also, photographs can bulk up the size of an electronic CV and slowing its download time or even causing it to be rejected (see point 2).

11)Avoid using the 1st person
To keep your CV document professional we advise candidates against using the terms ‘me’, ‘my’ or ‘I’.

12)Always print off a copy to review before sending
We don’t know why but somehow it’s easier to pick up minor errors from a printed copy. So take the trouble to print out any CV as soon as it’s finished and then read it to yourself out loud.

13)Keep a copy with you at all times
You could keep it in your briefcase so you can review it at different times of day in different circumstances. You might just get ideas about how to make parts of it stronger.

14)Don’t skimp on it – this is your most important job finding tool
For some reason a lot of people regard writing their CV as a chore to complete on rainy Sunday mornings every year or so. Yet this is the document that could decide how much you earn over the next few years. Don’t skimp. Work on it, review it, obsess over it - try anything you can to make it better.

Time invested in your CV is time invested in your future.

Nikki Hutchison, founder of Chilli Pepper Global http://www.chillipepperglobal.com/ advising you on every aspect of the job seeking process guiding you step by step all the way.