Tips for writing a CV / Resume
A good Resume / CV should not be too unique or unorthodox (unless you are applying for a job in the creative industry). If you are applying to a law firm, investment bank, consulting firm, or MNC, do adopt a conventional, well structured layout where the information can be easily found. Your Resume / CV is NOT the place to get creative and express your personality. The Resume / CV has one role and one role only, that is to get you a face to face interview. To do this, the professional (be it the HR person or your future boss) needs to be able to determine, in less than a minute, whether you have the necessary skills and aptitude to perform in the role.
Questions on your personality and how well you would fit into the company culture only come in at the interview stage, so don't worry about them at this stage of the application process.
Questions on your personality and how well you would fit into the company culture only come in at the interview stage, so don't worry about them at this stage of the application process.
1. Structure / Formatting
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Layout
No matter how well written, your Resume / CV will not get a thorough reading the first time through. On average, a Resume / CV gets scanned for 25 seconds. Scanning is more difficult if it is hard to read, poorly organised or exceeds two pages. Ensure that you:
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Always remember the CV hotspot – the upper middle area of the first page is where the recruiter's eye will naturally fall, so make sure you include your most important information there.
Summary
Begin your CV with a short summary that immediately gets their attention, and accurately and powerfully describes you as a solution to their hiring needs. An example would be: "Working as Associate in the M&A team at [Bank Name], specialising in public M&A transactions alongside 6 other professionals".
Length
The general rule of thumb is that a CV / Resume should never be more than 2 pages.
In fact, for students or jobseekers with less than 5 years working experience, we would generally recommend that you keep to a 1 page CV / Resume. No matter how fancy you think your 3 year old internship at the bulge bracket bank was, we can guarantee you that your recruiter will not agree. Keep to only the most essential and relevant accomplishments, and you will have no problem sticking to 1 page. You will thank us later.
Format
PDF is recommended. Not every office computer can read your .docx or .pages file, and in many cases there may be formatting issues. Save yourself the hassle and save your CV / Resume as a PDF file.
Summary
Begin your CV with a short summary that immediately gets their attention, and accurately and powerfully describes you as a solution to their hiring needs. An example would be: "Working as Associate in the M&A team at [Bank Name], specialising in public M&A transactions alongside 6 other professionals".
Length
The general rule of thumb is that a CV / Resume should never be more than 2 pages.
In fact, for students or jobseekers with less than 5 years working experience, we would generally recommend that you keep to a 1 page CV / Resume. No matter how fancy you think your 3 year old internship at the bulge bracket bank was, we can guarantee you that your recruiter will not agree. Keep to only the most essential and relevant accomplishments, and you will have no problem sticking to 1 page. You will thank us later.
Format
PDF is recommended. Not every office computer can read your .docx or .pages file, and in many cases there may be formatting issues. Save yourself the hassle and save your CV / Resume as a PDF file.
2. Substantive Content
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Once you have a good logical layout that the recruiter can quickly and easily understand, he/she will move on the most important question: Do you have the necessary skills and experience for this role?
We have set out a simple 3 step approach to ensure your CV / Resume addresses this vital question: |
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Step 1 – Identity the skills the recruiter is looking for
The ideal candidate the recruiter is looking for is always set out in the job description. Ensure that you read it fully from start to finish, to discern the skills and qualities they are looking for. For a position as a corporate lawyer for example, this may be the necessary technical skills to succeed in corporate law, as well as softer skills such as attention to detail and the ability to work under pressure.
Step 2 – Compile a list of relevant experience
Next, you should first come up with a list of your recent working experience. If you do not have much prior working experience, it is fine to add internships, extracurricular activities, or volunteering as long as they are relevant.
Positions of responsibility or activities where you exercised initiative are helpful as well, such as if you ran your company's Facebook page or if you started an inter-department football competition that became a success.
Step 3 – Tailor your CV to the role
When you've established what the job entails and which of your experiences addresses each requirement, create a CV specifically for that role.
Remember, there is no such thing as a generic CV. Every CV you send to a potential employer should be tailored your skills and experience are uniquely suited for the specific job you are applying for. Don't ever be lazy and hope that a general CV will work. You do so at your own peril. You don't have to re-write the whole CV, just adapt the details so that it is relevant.
The ideal candidate the recruiter is looking for is always set out in the job description. Ensure that you read it fully from start to finish, to discern the skills and qualities they are looking for. For a position as a corporate lawyer for example, this may be the necessary technical skills to succeed in corporate law, as well as softer skills such as attention to detail and the ability to work under pressure.
Step 2 – Compile a list of relevant experience
Next, you should first come up with a list of your recent working experience. If you do not have much prior working experience, it is fine to add internships, extracurricular activities, or volunteering as long as they are relevant.
Positions of responsibility or activities where you exercised initiative are helpful as well, such as if you ran your company's Facebook page or if you started an inter-department football competition that became a success.
Step 3 – Tailor your CV to the role
When you've established what the job entails and which of your experiences addresses each requirement, create a CV specifically for that role.
Remember, there is no such thing as a generic CV. Every CV you send to a potential employer should be tailored your skills and experience are uniquely suited for the specific job you are applying for. Don't ever be lazy and hope that a general CV will work. You do so at your own peril. You don't have to re-write the whole CV, just adapt the details so that it is relevant.
3. Language
When describing your work experience, avoid passive and non-descriptive verbs which indicate that you simply did what your superiors told you to. These would include words like “had,” “did,” “was,” and “am.”
Rather, switch them out with verbs that are dynamic and specific, which indicate you took the initiative and went beyond your jobscope. Good examples of these are words such as “organised,” “launched,” “initiated,” “created,” “designed,” or “oversaw.”
Rather, switch them out with verbs that are dynamic and specific, which indicate you took the initiative and went beyond your jobscope. Good examples of these are words such as “organised,” “launched,” “initiated,” “created,” “designed,” or “oversaw.”
4. Editorial Mistakes
As basic as this may seem, we cannot reiterate this enough: there should NEVER be any punctuation, grammar, spelling or formatting issues on your CV / Resume. One mistake would reflect badly on your job application, a second mistake usually gets your application trashed.
Ensure that you read and reread your CV / Resume multiple times. Do also send your CV / Resume to SuccessGoGo for our review, and we will pick up on any embarrassing mistakes before you send it off to the recruiter.
Ensure that you read and reread your CV / Resume multiple times. Do also send your CV / Resume to SuccessGoGo for our review, and we will pick up on any embarrassing mistakes before you send it off to the recruiter.
A Parting Note
There is no need to put your references on your CV / Resume, recruiters will ask for them if required. If you do have to put something, simply state that "references are available upon request".
Other Resources
Template CV / Resume
Writing a good Cover Letter
If you found this helpful and would like to have a personalised review of your CV by experienced professionals, click here.
Writing a good Cover Letter
If you found this helpful and would like to have a personalised review of your CV by experienced professionals, click here.