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A winning CV
It's not just a job you need a CV for - graduate schools admissions directors will expect to see one as well. So what are the tricks to making sure your CV gets to the top of the pile and stays there?
It’s not just a job you need a CV for – graduate schools admissions directors will expect to see one as well. So what are the tricks to making sure your CV gets to the top of the pile and stays there?
“The first mistake most people make is the length of their CV,” says Ben Carpenter, consultant at Acumin, the leading provider of Information Risk Management staff in the UK. “Two pages is conventional, however, depending on the industry, anything up to four or five is acceptable.” With limited space, how do you fit your work and education history, as well as your achievements, interests and personal statement on two pages? “Give a general overview,” says Carpenter. “Don’t go into too much detail about every role and project you’ve ever been involved in. You need to find a balance.”
While providing evidence of your previous experience is important, your CV should also include what you’re looking to do in the future. This is crucial in enabling those looking at your CV to see if you have the right fit – with a graduate program or with a potential employer. Another mistake many of us make is burying important and relevant information. “This really has to stand out,” Carpenter says. “If you’re a sales person list relevant performance against targets in bullet points; if you’re a project manager succinctly list the scale and type of projects you have been involved with.”
If your CV doesn’t grab someone’s interest within ten seconds they won’t read on
When it comes to listing your achievements in your grad school application, your potential school wants to see your academic achievements and how relevant your previous qualifications are. If you don’t make this kind of information stand out there’s a very good chance that it won’t be spotted. “There’s a much quoted saying that if your CV doesn’t grab someone’s interest within ten seconds they won’t read on,” says Carpenter. “It’s not just a cliché, it really is true.” But what about that dreaded personal statement? Carpenter advices people to approach it like a mini essay. “Write one to two lines as an introduction, one to two lines about relevant experience and use another one or two to briefly explain what you’re looking for. People often fill personal statements with words like dynamic and self-starter – avoid these at all costs, they have been over-used to the point of losing their meaning,” he says.
Top tips for making your CV effective:
• Use bullet points – they’re easy to read
• Don’t use pictures, colour, company logos or anything ‘creative’ that you may expect to make a CV stand out
• Leave the reader wanting more. For example, say you achieved 150% of your target, but don’t explain in the CV how you did it.
• See your CV as a passport to an interview and no more, there’s no need to completely reveal your hand at this stage.
