Writing CVs: Advice from the Experts

Writing a CV is something none of us enjoy, but they are the handshakes of job hunting. A strong one will leave a lasting impression on the hiring manager, while a weak one will see you left in the no thanks pile. Crafting a clean and professional CV is the key to unlocking career opportunities. I’ve asked three of our senior recruiters, John, Tony, and Simon for their advice on what to include and what not to include in your CV.

The CV Checklist: John’s take.

John Kiriakidis has recruited in the technical and project management space for a large range of engineering firms for the past 26 years. I asked John what he wants to see in a CV “I want as much detail and information about your career and who you are.  As we specialise in engineering, I’m after as much information about your technical skills, be it design, project, or leadership skills”. He also offered some advice on good content to include – “add some project examples showing your design abilities, pictures speak a thousand words. If its projects then add some examples as to the projects (size, scope, complexity etc) you have been on, and highlight what your responsibilities or authority level were on the projects. If its leadership / management, then explain what level of responsibility you had and the size of the teams, projects, or operations you controlled etc.”. Another question I wanted to know was how long is too long for a CV? “Don’t be worried if your CV is 3 or 6 pages long. If it’s relevant information, then that’s fine. Also don’t be afraid to add extra information to make the document suitable for the role you are applying.”

Essential Ingredients for a great CV: Tony’s take.

Tony De Barr has worked for nearly two decades recruiting in the Food, Dairy, Scientific, and Pharmaceuticals sectors. When I asked for some advice on writing a CV, he emphasised the importance of ensuring it was clean and professional. “A well formatted and easy to read CV with no grammatical blunders is far better than one with fancy formatting and flashy headings. You should make sure include the following sections:”

• Contact details. – Email and phone number.
• Citizenship/Residency/ Right to work.
• A short personal profile.
• Your qualifications – Years completed, majors and minors.
• Reverse chronological order of career experience – start with your most recent job.
• Bullet point responsibilities.
• Bullet point achievements.

He also asks that you don’t include reference details “Don’t include your referees, there’s no need as we won’t contact them, references come much later in the hiring process. Just specify referee contact details available on request”. He also said you should refrain from using ChatGPT generated content “Don’t use waffly paragraphs generated by AI or ChatGPT to describe responsibilities, personal profiles etc. It’s far better to have succinct and clear writing then the adjective heavy content produced by ChatGPT”.

Project Presentation: Simon’s take.

Finally, I spoke to Simon Field about what he looks for in a CV. Simon has 12 years of experience working in the Construction sector and recruits for Project Managers, Quantity Surveyors and Site Mangers. When asked what a CV should include, Simon explained that the two things he wants to see are a candidate’s recent experiences, and their qualifications. “This provides insight to the candidate’s responsibilities, achievements, and the project details. The project details should always include the scale of the project and your individual role. Photos are also great and should be included in the appendix”. He also had some notes for length of a CV “Don’t worry if your CV is long, but be careful not to babble. Earlier experiences in your career should also be summarised”.

While the prospect of getting your entire professional career down on a few pages may be daunting, we hope the information provided in here helps. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a recent graduate, A good CV will put you ahead of the competition and get you one step closer to your dream job.

If you have a CV, or if this article has inspired you to write one, feel free to drop it off to us here.