CV Masterclass - Tips to make YOU stand out from the crowd

There's no denying it. We are living in a difficult and harsh financial climate, with unemployment figures reaching over 2 million last month, the highest since 1997.

Redundancies have unfortunately become a daily occurrence, and pay cuts for employees at all levels are commonplace. This week, top executives at The Guardian Media Group, including Alan Rusbridger, Editor-in-Chief, took a 10% pay reduction. Thousands of others are in the same boat.

So what does this mean for you? Many people won't have bee involved in a job hunt for a number of years. Those that have, will most probably have relied on agencies, in a much easier market, and probably by choice. 

If you are looking for a new job now, competition will be fierce. Many companies will have recruitment freezes on for everything other than the most vital of roles, and are unlikely to be using agencies as a first choice. 

The recruiting Manager or HR department will most likely receive hundreds of applications for every advertised role, along with various speculative applications. Many of the candidates applying will not have the relevant qualifications for the job, or may even be overqualified. Some CV's will be far too long, with pages of waffle covering up any useful information, and this will inevitably frustrate the employer. Some candidates still feel it necessary to include lengthy lists of personal information and hobbies, information on their spouse and children, or photographs. 

You may think that being "different" makes you stand out in a positive way. However, imagine you are that Manager, or HR Assistant, trying to get on with your other duties but inundated with all of this information. You would probably start to become ruthless - only paying real attention to the most professional looking resumes with clear and concise details, and skimming over the rest. As a recruiter, I read hundreds of CVs a week, and had feedback from clients at all levels. They all had similar frustrations with badly written resumes landing on their desks.

So, how do you write the best possible CV? Here are the basics;

• DO: Select a classic, easy to read font in size 11 or 12. Use the same font throughout in black, and make headers bold to ensure they stand out.
  
  
• DON'T: Use a flashy font, make the text too small or use a variety of fonts or colours. You may believe this will make you stand out, in fact, it will make the words "swim" and potentially discourage a prospective employer from reading on.


• DO: Follow a professional, structured template, with an easy to follow layout, including;

1. Contact Details: Name, Address, Phone (Home & Mobile), Email, Professional Web page or Portfolio Link (if you have one).
   
2. Skills Summary: Just a few lines using keywords to describe what computer packages, specialist or industry related skills you can bring to a new employer.
   
3. Career Objective: What you want from your next career move. A short, concise statement that informs the reader what you are looking for from a new role.
   
4. Career History: Your work experience to date. Start with your most recent role and work backwards. Include bullet points outlining your duties and day to day tasks, and prioritise the most important. Also include key accomplishments within each role, and your reason for leaving.
   
5. Education: Details of your school, any further education, and training courses (both internal and external). Unless you have been in education very recently, it is not necessary to list all GCSE subjects and the grades individually. However, A Level and University information should be clearly listed here.

• DON'T: Attempt to create a wacky design with photographs, pictures or text in strange places. It will confuse the eye and take up excessive time, which could deter the reader.
  


• DO: Keep it concise. For each role, get straight to the point, using keywords, tangible examples and figures to illustrate your skills and achievements where possible. This is your opportunity to sell yourself and your success to date. Employers like to hear about these key things;

1. Money: Have your actions directly or indirectly saved your employer money? If you've found ways to reduce departmental expenses by bringing in new procedures, got a project in under budget or negotiated with suppliers to to reduce costs, explain how and the effect its had. If you have made your company money, this is the time to breakdown your achievements. If you have overachieved against your target, show this either in £ or % here.
2. Time: If you have managed to bring in a project ahead of schedule, or are consistently saving your Directors or Direct Managers time by implementing new processes or systems, give details. Explain how it's made a difference. If you have managed to negotiate additional time-frames, or renegotiated delivery times without negatively affecting your client customer, give examples.
3. Also give details of any ways you have have gone above and beyond your job specification, of internal/external awards you've been given or any special recognition you've received. This will include any articles you may have had published, speeches you may have given or mentoring or training you've given.

• DON'T: Waffle, make jokes or lie. CV's are there to sell what you can do in a clear and concise way, not a place to exaggerate or make false claims. You will be found out and this will go against you in the long run.
  

If you are emailing your CV directly to potential employers, always write a professional, tailored covering letter that attracts attention and makes the recipient want to read more. Do your research, find out who the hiring Manager or HR contact is, what the job involves and how you may be suitable. Highlights these points in a paragraph and then sign off professionally, thanking them for your time and explaining why, and how keen you are to speak with them further regarding your skills and experience.

If you are sending your CV in the post, do the same but choose a good quality, white or cream paper. Address the envelope to the right contact and ensure your contact details are clear and obvious. I'd also advise adding a header or footer to your CV with your name and phone number on each numbered page, in case the pages get separated at any point.

It may be that you're applying for jobs in many different types of companies, and even for different roles. In this case, it is wise to save a selection of resumes, each one relevant to the sector or position you will be applying to. This will enable you to select the correct CV quickly, rather than having to amend a master copy each time you apply for a new role.

There are standard templates for CV's on Word packages, and advice and other templates can be found all over the internet on sites such as;

• CV Articles
• Careers Advice
  
• Alec
• Prospects

Most importantly, keep the content of your CV fresh, original, factual and interesting. Try not to use the same words or phrases repeatedly - stretch your vocabulary and check your spelling and grammar. This isn't just a list of skills, it's your opportunity to sell your experience to a prospective employer. Remember, this is your chance to make a first impression, to make yourself stand out. Keep it brief, but ensure your personality shines through, alongside your achievements and the reasons you would be a benefit to this company. Make them want to meet you!

This is a brief, but hopefully helpful guide to writing your resume. However, if you need any help or advice on your personal CV, please do not hesitate to contact me. I'll be happy to help wherever I can.

Good luck!