Attracting the right kind of attention

CVs have been requested by employers and prepared by potential employees ever since papyrus was invented by the Egyptians. Over the years countless 'professionals' have offered advice on how to prepare the 'perfect' CV. Unfortunately most of the advice appears to be either confusing, contradictory, or out of fashion as soon as it is in fashion – or just simply wrong!

This article is intended to guide you – the modern finance professional – through the advice maze, so you end up with a CV that helps rather than hinders your career.

The Perfect CV?
The good news, to start with, is that there is no such thing as the 'perfect' CV. However, it is still easy to make basic errors when preparing your CV. In the same way that a messy and haphazard exam paper will tend to attract the wrong type of attention from an examiner, the wrong presentation or content for your CV will not lead to an interview! There are three areas to consider when preparing your CV: the purpose, the content and the presentation.

The Purpose
The main purpose of your CV is to ensure that you are considered for an interview when applying for a job or work experience. In most traditional recruitment processes, employers produce shortlists of applicants based purely on the CVs received. Therefore your CV needs to be an effective sales document, outlining your skillset and professional profile in an appropriate and articulate manner. The person reading your CV is highly unlikely to have met you or know anything about you. If they are looking for specific skills or experience, and your CV does not possess the relevant information, they will assume that you are not an appropriate candidate!

Additionally, each role that you apply for will have slightly different requirements and priorities and you need to be prepared to change your CV to suit the occasion. There will usually be no need for a major rewrite – simple alterations such as changing the layout or the order in which your skills and achievements are listed will often suffice. If a specific skill or experience is requested and you feel comfortable that you have the relevant background, make sure that your CV says so.

The Content
The first section of your CV must outline the following information:
Name / Address / Contact details / Date of birth / Nationality / Visa status / Full academic history / Qualifications / Languages / IT systems experience.

The next section of your CV should contain your full career history and you are advised to outline your experience to date beginning with your most recent/current job.

You should include all relevant dates, job titles and a brief description of each company you have worked for and their turnover. It is sensible to focus on your most recent experience, detailing in full exactly what you have been doing. You should summarise your earlier experiences further down your CV. As you are marketing yourself based on who and what you are today, much of your earlier experience is likely to be fairly immaterial to the job you are applying for now.

Underneath each job title you should explain the level of the role (who do you report to?), describe the overall purpose or context of the role and highlight your key responsibilities and achievements. It is sensible to assume that the person reading your CV does not know any of the companies you have worked for, or how your position fitted into the overall company structure. When outlining your experience, try and introduce the information with a broad summary of the role and outline the individual responsibilities underneath. Mention everything that is of significance in your most recent role, even if it seems obvious.

Remember that your CV is a marketing document and is likely to be the first impression a prospective employer has of you. As you think about the suitable content for your CV, do not forget the importance of how the document looks.

The Presentation
A badly presented CV, irrespective of its content, is almost guaranteed to create the wrong impression. It is vital to make the right impact with your CV and the style and layout are very important. If you cannot produce a professional document about yourself, an employer may conclude that you are unlikely to have the competence to take on an important role within their organisation.

CV Do’s

• The body of your CV should be two pages long. It is almost impossible to establish any credibility with one page and, conversely, more than three pages will test the patience of the reader.
• Use bullet points to break up the CV and make sure that the salient points are highlighted.
• Make use of different text styles such as font size, type, bold and italics to make the CV easier to read
• Focus on the quality not quantity of information.
• Use positive language whilst emphasising your experience and achievements.

CV Don’ts

• Do not enclose a photo on your CV.
• Do not use unusual colours.
• Do not leave off your date of birth.
• Do not add personal details such as height, weight and eye colour.
• Do not lie or exaggerate – go no further than accentuating the positive.
• Do not include your hobbies unless they are especially exciting or unusual.
• Do not include details of your salary and expectations. Negotiate this after you have been offered the job!
• Do not leave out any dates and make sure there are NO gaps on your CV.
• Do not make spelling or grammatical mistakes.

Summary
Just as there is no perfect CV, there is also no perfect article on preparing a one! Hopefully this brief introduction has given you food for thought before you prepare your next CV.

Do not underestimate how important your CV will be throughout your entire career. Your personality, experience and career to date will be the main reason why you will be successful when applying for a new job. However, you need to be 'winning' interview opportunities in order to demonstrate all of the above. If your CV is inaccurate, badly written or simply a poor attempt at marketing yourself, you will be severely damaging your chances of having your talent recognised and rewarded. If you are interested in more detail about preparing your CV and interviewing, please look at the ‘Advice’ section at www.michaelpage.co.uk

David Angel is a Manager at Michael Page Finance