What to write in a CV

The scene: CV sift day – when we crack open the machine that gathers applications and look inside, hoping to spot diamonds amongst…

I like to think of myself as human (post first coffee AM). As a human reading a CV (I make this point to avoid a comparison with an applicant tracking system), I want to know who you are, what you have done and where you ply your trade. After that you can give me some choice morsels of highlights etc. I take this for granted. Which is why I’m surprised this week by a number of MD Level CVs that have been sent to an executive position that we are recruiting for. The place of work had no detail except for the name of the organisation.

Why this is an CV issue :

The organisation element of career history is a pinch point in your CV, and if you give the reader a couple of lines about the business then they can quickly quantify your role: (imagine if you will, that the box below in red is snipped from such a typical CV)

Acme Thunder – Managing Director
A PLC employing 20,000, with a turnover circa £900M providing loud noises and occasional flash systems for cloud and storm fronts internationally from 24 countries. www.acmethunder.com

If I omit the bold italics (so that you can see the detail) from the description of Acme Thunder above, I deprive the recruiter of:

  • Type-PLC
  • Employee Number-20K
  • Turnover-£900M
  • Industry-Sky
  • Sectors-Storm fronts, Noise and Light
  • Reach-International
  • Number of Centres-24

The lack of detail is detrimental to your CV and opportunity. Why take the risk for a couple of sentences of content? Just read your CV, can I ask what you do..?
To find out more click here: Managing Director CV Writing Service

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