What is a great CV?

There are only two really important parties in a recruitment transaction – you, and the person who is going to hire you. That means your CV is not just a piece of paper, it’s the start of a relationship.

Job vacancies regularly attract thirty, forty or more applicants. For the manager who has to sift through them all and decide who to interview, a CV that sounds as though it’s come from a really positive, switched-on, tuned-in person is a gift. It immediately stands head and shoulders above all the CVs that are just lists of jobs, dates and experience.

The guidance here will help you research and understand the needs and wants of the hiring manager, and their organisation. Your CV should aim to identify and maximise the middle ground between you.

A really great CV is also a selling document. It should act as a showcase:

…not only for your skills but your abilities;

…not only for your qualifications but your personal values,

…not only for your career high points, but for something of your personality.

When you read your own CV, it should make you feel really proud and not embarrassed at all.

If this is the kind of CV you’re looking for, read on.