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Good CV Writing Tips

The lowdown on what recruiters say will push their buttons and what will get on their nerves.

A little while back, I organised a get together with some HR chums to extract their views about what constitutes a good CV these days.

Now, these were people who have seen thousands of CVs in their time, 98% of which don't make the cut. So, their opinions should count for something. I asked them two questions:

When you're reviewing a CV, what factors will cause you to reject the candidate?
What's your advice for anybody who wants to put together a top-notch CV?

I hope the following responses are helpful. If you don't like what you see, then blame it on the HR mindset and not me!

Rejection factors

The main reasons that recruiters give for rejecting a CV are:

Questionable grammar
CV doesn't read well
Spelling mistakes
CV is overlength
CV provides too little information
Applicant is underqualified
Applicant is overqualified
An emphasis on skills when the ad stressed achievements
An emphasis on achievements when the ad stressed skills
Too much personal information
Poor choice of font, making CV hard to read
Too much emphasis on early career
Lack of evidence to back up claims in the profile
Too much information on extracurricular activities

It's worth making a point here about the importance of context. If a recruiter has, say, 500 CVs to look at and a target shortlist of ten people to interview plus six to ten reserves, relatively minor transgressions or failings on the part of the applicant can result in a rejection letter.

Where there's a much smaller field of applicants, a degree of pragmatism kicks in with recruiters and the focus is almost entirely on the extent to which applicants meet or don't meet the core specification.

Tips for a top-notch CV

Here are some pretty much verbatim words from the wise about what recruiters see as good CV-writing practice:

Make sure that the CV has no grammatical or spelling errors.
Try to inject a positive outlook into the CV.
Keep the length to two pages ideally, three at the most.
For me, content is king. Length isn't important. I've been bored by two-page CVs and fascinated by six-page CVs.
Only include details that positively sell you. A CV is a marketing document, not a confession.
When it comes to describing your knowledge and experience, don't include any information simply because you feel it ought to go in. Ask yourself whether that piece of information will make it more likely that you'll be called for interview. If you think it will, put it in.
Provide evidence to back up any claims. For example, it's all very well talking about having 'exemplary team management skills', but without some kind of evidence to back this up it's just bullshit as far as I'm concerned.
Use active verbs to give the CV a bit of oomph. I like to get a sense of energy from the CV.
Avoid management speak. Unlike an elephant with a PhD, it's not big and it's not clever.
No photos please. We have files for over two thousand employees and I can't think of one person whose CV came with a photo.
Avoid gimmicks. Perhaps I'm perverse, but the more somebody tries to catch my eye with anything other than content, the more I'm inclined to reject them.
Be explicit about how you match the specification and make it apparent as quickly as possible. Remember that most recruiters barely have the time to read all the lines, let alone between them!
Don't repeat yourself. I remember one CV where the same information was replicated word for word in the covering letter, in the career highlights section of the CV and again under the individual job headings. Not only is it a waste of space, but the law of diminishing returns makes three references have a lot less of an impact than just one.
I like to see information on hobbies and interests. It humanises the application.
A section on hobbies and interests is just dead space in my view. Far better to include some extra work-relevant material.
A meaningful covering letter is a must in my book. It shows a higher level of commitment by the applicant and gives them the chance to hit me with their best shots.


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