Time to Spring Clean Your CV
Spring is definitely in the air, and it’s a good time to refresh your CV and ensure it is the best representation of you. I see hundreds of CVs a week – the good, the bad, and the downright awful. A common mistake is people only updating their most recent job information and failing to provide a joined-up story of their career.
Let’s face it – it’s not a task anyone relishes. Communications professionals spend their working life making others look good and ensuring there’s a clear story. When it comes to themselves, it’s often a case of the cobbler’s children having no shoes. But don’t sell yourself short! Invest time and challenge every bullet point: is this really adding to my story and related to the role I want?
Crafting a Compelling CV
Start With a Clear Summary
- Have a concise opening summary highlighting your particular expertise.
- If you’re senior, put educational information last; work experience is more relevant at this stage.
- Provide the most detail about your current role, and fewer points about earlier positions.
Responsibilities vs Achievements
- Include bullet points for role responsibilities, followed by achievements.
- Where possible, include measurable outcomes. Example: “Led employee engagement programme during business restructure which saw a 40% increase in participation and 86% understanding of new corporate vision.”
Other Points to Consider
- If moving from PR Agency to in-house, focus on campaign achievements and sector expertise rather than fee revenue or new business wins.
- If you’re a contractor, you don’t need to include every assignment – choose examples relevant to the role.
- Clearly indicate contract roles to avoid misinterpretation.
- Delete repeated points across roles – e.g., team management in earlier roles if already covered.
- Proofread – spell check may miss sections in all caps.
- Tailor your CV for each role; recruiters reject CVs if it’s not immediately clear why you’re a fit.
- Leave out external links; reviewers often don’t have time to click through.
- Present experience under the role you gained it in, rather than as a summary of skills and employment list.
- Hobbies and interests – only include if relevant (e.g., charity work). Leave out trivial details.
Final Thoughts
The thing about CVs is everyone has a different opinion on the best layout. The bottom line is to be confident that your CV is the best representation of you and allows you to comfortably talk through your career at interview.
Happy cleaning!
By Julie Mazzei, Principal Consultant – UK North and Midlands
