Posted on in Contracting Recruitment
All London recruiters will tell you that they are experts at writing CV’s – just ask them! It is a topic that everyone in the business has an opinion on; regardless – there are a five general facts that remain standard in the UK market, which I’ve outlined below. You also need to be aware that you only get 7 – 10 seconds for your CV to create an impression in the competitive London market – just a glance. If your CV is not in a UK ‘’friendly’’ format then you will not get the traction or the feedback you deserve. Your CV’s job is to get your foot in the door for an interview, where your personality will then shine through to ‘sell’ you (but that is another blog all together!). The top 5 CV tips are as follows: 1. Keep it brief Two pages if possible and definitely no more than four. Only have the information that is relevant, any roles further back than 5 - 7 years provide only the bare necessities (as you do still need to account for time). Bullet points are really good as these convey your message in a short/sharp fashion while being easy to read and digest. 2. Keep it technical Focus on your technical and specific work related skills. Do not talk about your ‘soft’ skills such as being a great team player and punctual etc. Focus on key words that will grab attention for example in marketing use words like ‘brand management, campaign management, direct mail etc’. 3. Use the third person Don’t use ‘I’ statements, instead use the third person. For example, instead of ‘I was responsible for the overall profit and loss’ state ‘Responsible for the overall profit and loss’. Keep it factual and as a statement. 4. If you are not British or from the European Union have your visa status front & centre If you are not a British or EU passport holder you need to make it obvious that you are eligible to work in the UK. Include your visa status at the front of your CV including what date your visa is valid to. The type of work visa you hold for the UK may impact on whether you can undertake contract or permanent work. 5. Have company information Have some information about the companies you have worked for – especially if where you have worked is not a well known entity. Talk about what industry it operates in, size and turnover. It only needs to be a couple of sentences but enough to get an understanding of where your industry experience lies.