CVHandbook

CV Content ................................................................................. 3

CV Format .................................................................................. 8

CV Length .................................................................................. 10

References ............................................................................... 12

What to Put on a CV if You're Changing Career ........................ 13

How to Address CV gaps ........................................................... 14

What to do if You Have no Experience ....................................... 15

Your Cover Letter ....................................................................... 16

CV Checklist ............................................................................... 18

Contents

Overview

A good CV will get you the job interview you want, yet a lot of people still neglect their CV.

It's easy to see why people dislike the idea of writing or updating their CV, but if you follow the basic guidelines and adhere to the wealth of advice and statistics out there your CV will get you noticed.

The 4 basic principles of a good CV are:

1 Tailor your CV to suit the job spec of each job you apply for2 Be consistent in your style of layout3 Always list results, not just responsibilities4 Pay attention to spellings & grammar

80% of jobseekers state that the lack of response to CV applications is their biggest annoyance during a job search.

How can you make sure you have a good CV and that you hear back from employers?

To help you find your perfect job we've compiled all our knowledge in this short & simple guidebook, which will answer any questions you have.

From "How Long Should My CV Be" to "How to Explain CV gaps."

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Cpl - Powering Ambition

Cpl is a global provider of workforce solutions to startup companies, multinationals and SMEs in every sector from Pharmaceuticals to Fund Accounting. Founded in 1989, the Cpl Group now comprises 22 brands spanning more over 40 offices in 11 countries across Ireland, the UK and Europe.

CV Content

HOW TO COLLECT CV CONTENTFirst write down any jobs, skills, volunteering, hobbies, interests, courses and awards you can think of. List everything – from work achievements to travel.

The process of listing your achievements, big and small, will help you to recognise the value in things you’ve done that you might have forgotten about. Things like training new staff, organising schedules, handling cash and so on.

Now pair back and focus on the job you are applying for. When you think about every aspect of your current and past positions, and focus on your successes, it’ll be much easier for you to explain on paper why you’re the right person for the job.

WHAT TO INCLUDE ON YOUR CVBasic informationHiring managers receive 50+ CVs a day. Make sure they know yours is yours by clearly stating your name and contact information at the top of your CV. List your first name and surname, phone number and email. Your email should be work appropriate – 76% of CVs are discarded for an unprofessional email address. If you’re in doubt over suitability create a new work specific email. Email addresses can be set up for free across all major providers – Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo etc. If your name is taken add an initial or hyphen. There is no need to title the section “Contact Details”. For details on the best way to format this section visit page 8.Personal bioThis is your chance to brand yourself the way you want. Your personal statement should be concise, 2 or 3 short paragraphs, and customised for each role. A personal bio is particularly valuable if you’re switching careers or have taken a career break.

Aim for the length of a Twitter bio – which is 160 characters. Twitter allows a small number of characters to ensure all bios are punchy and to the point, which is exactly what you want your CV to be.

Describe who you are, your professional goals and passion for the role or industry. Use simple language and avoid using large bragging words such as wonderful, amazing, world’s best.

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WHAT TO INCLUDE AND LEAVE OUT

There are no strict rules as to what you should or shouldn’t include on a CV, but there are some tried and tested guidelines to follow.

Ultimately use the following advice as your overall guide. Then use the job description of the role you are applying for as your main lead when planning what to include and leave out.

CV Content

Work ExperienceList work experience chronologically. Your two most recent jobs should be more detailed than your other jobs. Focus on explaining what you did and use statistics and figures to back up achievements.

People often only list their duties and responsibilities in work. That’s not what an employer is looking for. Employers want to know what you achieved. Rather than simply saying that you were responsible for social media, tell them how much you grew the audience, or increased sales.

Include keywords, focus on results and use strong action words such as managed, controlled. This will help your CV stand out.

CV KEYWORDS

Studies suggest recruiters look at a CV for an average of 6 seconds. During this time they are looking for keywords based on the job spec.

Always keep this in mind when writing a CV.

If you don’t know what keywords to use, then re-read the job spec. Jot down the necessary requirements and skills – these are your keywords.

Soft SkillsSoft skills are skills that enable people to work well together and include communication and teamwork. Listing these might seem redundant but you’d be surprised at how valuable these are to a team.

Our Q3 2015 Employment Monitor found that 96% of employers would choose attitude over technical ability, which suggests that it’s not what you know, it’s who you are that matters.

‘Soft skills’ are crucial to the way you work, so don’t underestimate their importance on your CV. Soft skills don’t need their own section, instead use examples within your Work Experience to show you are a good team player or that you work well alone.

EducationSecondary school, university degrees or other forms of education should be included on a CV. State where you studied and the degree or course title. If the course is applicable to the job flesh out relevant modules.

Online courses, night classes, and everything in between show employers what skills you have and prove you are open to upskilling and passionate about the area you work in.

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CV ContentSystems & AwardsUse the job spec. of the job you’re applying for as a guide to what systems are worth including. Then list each system and tool you are proficient in, by its industry-recognised name.

Don’t just say ‘photo-editing software’ or ‘Photoshop’; say ‘Photo-editing software like Photoshop…’ etc. This can be helpful for recruiters or hiring managers searching for keywords.

If you’ve won any relevant awards, you should include these too. Use bullet points to make this section sharp and concise. ReferencesThere is no need to include referee names. It goes without saying and if a hiring manager needs a reference they will ask regardless.

For full details on references go to page 12.

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SOFT SKILLS TO CONSIDER • Adaptable

• Assertive

• Attentive

• Communication Skills

• Confident

• Crisis Management

• Decision Making

• Dependable

• Design sense

• Emotional Intelligence

• Enthusiastic

• Flexible

• Good at Networking

• Honest

• Innovative

• Listening

• Motivated

• Multitasking

• Organised

• Patience

• Planning

• Problem Solving

• Punctual

• Reliable

• Results Oriented

• Team Player

CV Content

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WHAT NOT TO INCLUDE ON YOUR CVQuality not quantity is a cliché but it is a relevant and worthwhile motto to keep in mind when editing a CV. An overly long CV or CV mistakes could be the difference between getting called for an interview or not.MisspellingsDon’t just use spell check, read your CV multiple times and get someone else to do the same. Spell check won’t notice correctly spelt misspellings, like manger instead of manager or collage instead of college; don’t rely on it.

Poor GrammarThe same goes for grammar. Bad grammar is off-putting for an employer and can create a bad false first impression of you. No matter how easy it is to write ‘it’s’ when you mean ‘its’, employers will find it difficult not to assume that you don’t know the difference.

Re-read your CV numerous times and ask someone you trust to do the same. If you’re still not sure you can use a grammar checking application such as Grammarly.

Lies Never lie or embellish job titles on a CV. It’s hard to do, time consuming and you’ll get caught.

Even if you don’t, how do you intend to do a job that requires skills you don’t have? Instead go back to that perfect role. Go through the spec, identify the spots where your CV falls short and go about filling those gaps.

Fill gaps by doing the work, learning the tools and finding ways to improve your skills. By building your experience and matching your skills to the right roles you will go into every interview as a near perfect candidate.

Extra personal detailsA CV should be as short as possible so keep to the point and avoid unnecessary extras such as: • A photo • Marital status • Date of birth • Gender • Nationality • Why you left your previous job

Recently there has also been an increase in the number of creative CVs using CV videos and interactive CVs. Unless it is specifically requested, just keep things simple.

CV misspellings often spotted by our recruiters include: job titles & employer or company names.

88% of employers would reject a candidate with a photo on their CV.

CV Format

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To impress a recruiter or hiring manager you need to make your CV as readable as possible.

Design an attractive CV by keeping the layout consistent and simple. Use a regular font, bullet points, headings and bold text to make important information stand out.

Put time into simplifying format and design and you’ll create a CV that can be digested at a glance, because that is all you have.

HOW TO USE HEADINGS & TITLES

Make sections such as Education or Work Experience easy to find by using formatted headings. Headings can be created in Word or a Google doc – Heading 1 or Heading 2 are good options.

Make your CV even more readable by using titles under each Heading. For example, under the Work Experience heading list each job in bold followed by a short description underneath.

Just like your headers, using bold titles will make relevant information easy to find quickly.

HOW TO LIST WORK EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

Education and work experience should always be listed in chronological order.

Put your current job at the top and work your way down through previous jobs in order of year. Education history should follow the same format.

Consistency is key on a CV so make sure you use

the same format for listing all jobs and educational experience. Not sure what to list first on your CV? Alter the order of your CV depending on the role you are applying for.

If you are a recent Graduate, your CV should start with Educational qualifications. Conversely, if you are a more experienced candidate, start with professional experience and work from your most recent role backwards.

FORMAT FOR SENDING - WORD DOC. OR PDF?

Always read the job description to see if the hiring manager specifies a certain CV format, then save your CV in this format with your name in the title so it’s professional and easy to find.

The most common format to send a CV is a Word document. Generally hiring managers and recruiters prefer a word document CV for three key reasons:

1. Allows ATS scanning software (used by large companies & recruit-ers) to find keywords and criteria matches.

2. Easily opened & edited.

3. Recruiters can alter to remove contact details when sending to prospective employers.

CV Format

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FONT SIZE & STYLE

CV font should be easily read and not too big or too small. Pick a font that is simple, professional and looks good online and in print.

Fail safe font styles include: • Calibri (Body) • Arial • Verdana

Picking a small font size to fit more information on a CV is tempting, but to keep your CV legible choose a font between 10 and 12.

BACK TO BASICS: CV DESIGN

Follow these guidelines for an easy to read and adaptable CV:

• Adopt a back to basics approach with minimal distractions

• Avoid using colour

• Don’t include a picture

• Make use of the white space on your CV

• Add definition with headers, bullet points, bold text

• If bullet points are lengthy split into columns

• Use page numbers for CVs over 1 page

• Print each CV page individually, rather than front and back

Hiring managers prefer simple CVs, so save yourself time and focus on content rather than design.

CV Length

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CV LENGTH – HOW TO KEEP YOUR CV SHORT & RELEVANT

One of the most common questions we get asked is how long should my CV be?

There is no definitive answer, but the average CV shouldn’t include information that dates back more than 10 years and should be 1 – 2 pages long.

With that said, If you are applying for a senior position which requires a lot of information and job history details don’t be afraid to go over 2 pages.

CUT DOWN ON PERSONAL DETAILS

Your name, email, phone no. and current job title are the only personal details needed. These can all be listed on one line.

This:

Jo Smith | Marketing Assistant | Josmith@gmail.com | 086 123 4567

Not this:

Name: Jo Smith

Job Title: Marketing Assistant

Email: Josmith@gmail.com

Phone number: | 086 123 4567

If you list your date of birth, address, nationality or marital status delete them now.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised how much space you can save by doing this.

DON’T REFERENCE REFERENCES

There is no need to include referees on your CV.

References will be asked for if needed and no one will dismiss your CV purely because you’ve failed to confirm you have references.

FOCUS ON RELEVANT INFORMATION

Your CV should only include information from the previous 10 years.

Be strict and only include applicable jobs and skills for the role you’re applying for. With that said, be careful you don’t omit transferable skills. Avoid this by carefully examining the job description and matching what you include on your CV with the job spec as best you can.

EMPHASISE ACHIEVEMENTS

Almost everyone wastes CV space by going into too much detail. Avoid including unnecessary and lengthy details by emphasising results and achievements, rather than daily tasks.

A CV should highlight skills that make you attractive to interview. Keep things brief and let the hiring manager decide what needs to be fleshed out once you get called for interview.

CV Length

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MAKE FORMATTING WORK FOR YOU

Simple formatting tricks that can help you cut down the length of your CV

• Remove unnecessary labels – there’s no need to label your email address as, email: cpl@cpl.com

• Columns – If you are listing a lot of skills, use columns to split your list in two and free up space

• Margins – use a one or half inch margin, rather than the standard two

Recruiters, on average, spend just 6 seconds looking at a CV.

BE STRICT WITH WORDS

Do you really need to say “really need”?

Remove “really” and you’re one word closer to a short CV. Some other delete-able words to look out for include “that” and “very”.

Remove every mention of these that you can for a very concise CV. Similarly use “doesn’t” rather than “does not”, “there’s” rather than “there is” and so on.

CV References

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CV REFERENCES

There’s no need to list your references on your CV or “Reference available upon request” but you should have references ready when applying for jobs. If you don’t this can hold up job offers, or be the reason someone else gets the job over you.

Choose your references wisely and always ask before giving out contact details (a landline phone number and work email address) to a prospective employer.

WHO TO CHOOSE AS A REFEREE

Your most important referee is your last employer. If you need more than one reference, any of the following are acceptable:

• Another previous employer or supervisor – the more recent the better • Former clients - a client you have worked with, ideally on a project relevant to the job you're applying for • Academic references – university professor or mentor, secondary school principal

• Volunteer group reference - if you volunteer, a reputable member of the group can be an impressive reference

Pick a reference who knows your abilities and that you enjoyed working with. You want this person to sell your skills, personality and ability to work as part of a team.

If you can, let each reference know specific skills or traits you would like them to mention. This might be the difference between you getting the job or someone else.

BEFORE SENDING REFERENCES

Always contact your references before handing out their details. Confirm they are happy to act as your reference and ideally meet with them in person to tell them about the prospective role. If you can’t meet in person make a phone call. A reference can make or break a job offer so don’t let your references be an afterthought.

Changing Career: What to put on your CV

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The easiest way to explain why you’re changing career is to include it in your CV bio and cover letter.

Don’t omit other information about your previous career, this is what will distinguish you from everyone else. Instead, frame your past experiences to demonstrate all your transferable soft and hard skills.

Research the industry you want to enter, look online, attend events, connect with people in the industry, then look at what you’ve done in the past. Determine what’s considered useful for your new career and highlight this on paper.

CV Bio

Your goal here is to explain why you’ve decided to switch industry, convey your passion and what transferable skills you possess.

CV layout & content

Your CV should show you’ve tried to upskill and are eager to change career – not just chancing your arm, or applying for any job you find. Like all CVs, use the job description to guide you and place your most relevant information towards the top of your CV.

Unlike other CVs, for most career changers a skills section is valuable. Include a Skills section straight after your bio. List your transferable skills and detail how you have developed these skills and achieved results in the past.

Even if your work experience or education isn’t valid, include these too. Keep these sections brief and try and focus on elements of your previous roles that

have relevance to the job you’re applying for. For example, if you are switching to a caring profession focus on how you have worked with people or projects where you displayed organisation and communication skills.

Similarly, if you’ve recently done a course or internship in the area you want to enter emphasise this.

Avoid industry specific words

When discussing your previous career avoid using jargon. Jargon can get confused within different industries and what makes perfect sense to you could be gibberish to someone in the field you want to enter.

Career changer’s cover letter

A cover letter is a direct way to explain why you’re changing career and why you’d be so great in the role on offer. Like all cover letters, keep it brief and personalised. Explain why you want to change career and what led to this decision.

Make it clear that you have researched the industry, thought strongly about switching jobs and are passionate and committed to your new career.

Avoid talking about previous career changes as this will make you appear uncertain and likely to change direction again – a costly risk for any hiring manager.

How to address CV gaps

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Always address a career break or gap in your CV.

Avoiding a gap can cause suspicion, but if you explain it you can show why it’s not a bad thing, and how you used your time out of work wisely.

Be honest and focus on the positives. Address why you chose to take a break, and talk about what you’ve done to develop your skills and improve yourself.

If you were let go from a job that lasted a few months or that’s irrelevant to the job you’re applying for just leave it out of your CV, but if it was your last job, always include it.

There is no need to write on your CV you were let go, but be prepared to talk about it in your interview.

Include any of the below reasons chronologically amongst your work experience. This keeps your CV layout consistent and clearly fills gaps.

If you decided to travel

This shows you’re adventurous, willing to take risks and could bring innovative ideas to the table.

Our recent Employment Monitor confirms 66% of employer’s favour candidates with overseas experience.

If you took a break to refocus

This demonstrates that you’re committed to what you do and like to get things right.

Outline what you did during this time and that you’re excited to return to the working world.

If you had family issues

Explain your situation and confirm you are ready to re-enter the workforce.

Being a carer or choosing to focus on family is noble and shows you’re a people person and a hard worker. Enviable skills in any worker.

If you were made redundant

Employers understand that redundancy doesn’t mean you were bad at your job.

Discuss what you’ve done since being let go and be optimistic. These little things will show you're a valuable employee.

66% of employers favour candidates with overseas experience.

If you Have no Experience

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If you have no experience you’ll need to show passion, eagerness to learn and skills that show your potential. Think about why you want the job and why you’d be good at it. Keep this in mind and transfer it to paper.

Your priority is to show the relevant skills you can bring to the role you’re applying for. Like any other CV maintain a clear, easy to read layout using bold titles and only include information relevant to the job post. A relevant bioIf you don’t have concrete work experience then focus on writing a strong bio. Be honest and use this as your elevator pitch.

Don’t try and hide your lack of experience, instead highlight the skills and passion you have that make you right for the job. For maximum impact keep your bio short and to the point.

Soft & technical skillsRather than listing Work Experience first, use a Skills section to show transferable skills and your most attractive traits.In this section list: • Core soft skills & technical skills. Use examples from internships, voluntary work and extracurricular activities. • Soft skills to consider include: team work, innovation, creativity, self-motivation, decision making, problem solving.

Education detailsAs well as listing where you have studied, include: • Relevant information on modules you excelled in • Information on clubs or committees you were involved in• Thesis information – even if the topic isn’t relevant, your thesis project can be used to demonstrate discipline, time management and the ability to start and complete a project

Volunteering experienceVolunteering shows you’re caring, passionate and good at working with people.

If you have experience volunteering list your volunteer roles as you would a job. Detail the charity, the length of time you volunteered for, relevant tasks you undertook and the skills you developed.

Work experienceEven if you have very little, or no, relevant work experience you should still include a Work Experience section to show you’re used to a working environment.

List previous jobs but don’t go into as much detail as usual. Avoid listing tasks, as these are irrelevant, instead list the occupation and mention any impressive work achievements.

Statistics and figures to back up achievements are always well received.

Your Cover Letter

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ys to gMost cover letters are sent via email or an online job application form. Write your cover letter in the body of the email, rather than attaching as an email attachment – unless asked otherwise.

If you’re asked to email your cover letter include: • The position you are applying for in the email Subject Line • The recipient’s name – don’t use “to whom it may concern” • Brief description of who you are • Brief outline of your relevant experience and why you’re worth interviewing • Confident language – avoid "I feel" or "I believe", instead use strong wording like "I am" • Your phone number • Your work availability • Any specifics requested in the job ad • Your CV, as an attachment • Link to portfolio/examples of work, if applicable

If you are asked to send a cover letter via post, type your letter and include all the above information as well as: • The date • Your contact information • Contact information of the company you are writing to • A line explaining who you are and the role you are writing in relation to • Handwritten signature & typed signature

All cover letters should be well-written, spellchecked, and well researched.

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Your Cover Letter

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Most cover letters are generic and laden with clichés. Make your cover letter impactful by following these simple guidelines:

Use the person’s name If there is no name on the job listing, make a call and figure out who is accepting. Alternatively check the company LinkedIn and find the applicable addressee.

Base content off the job adThe job ad will tell you exactly what the hiring manager is looking for, so use it to frame your cover letter. Pick out the most important aspects of the job ad and clearly point out that your experience and skills match those requirements.

This is the simplest and best way to catch an employer’s attention. If the job ad asks you to answer something specific in a cover letter, focus on that.

Address unusual CV details If you’ve made a career change, recently moved country or if you’ve been out of work for a while now is the time to address it. If you ignore details like this the hiring manager could get suspicious and ignore you in return.

What can you bring to the company? Rather than focusing on what you want or how you’d benefit from the job on offer, talk about what positive impact you’d make to the business.

Reading about how you could increase ROI or your innovative ideas is much more interesting than reading about how much you’d love to work in the company’s nice office, or how convenient the new commute would be.

Always spell checkShow your attention to detail by ensuring your cover letter is well phrased and has no mistakes. If you’re not confident in writing get someone who is to read it over for you.

Take the time to write a proper cover letter; be clear, concise, and most importantly specific about what you are looking for and how your previous experience is relevant to the job.

CV Checklist ☑

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CV CONTENT

Name, contact details, 2/3 line bio, relevant work experience, education, skills/interests ☑ Results rather than responsibilities ☑ Figures to add impact – I trained a team of 10, I increased ROI by 10% etc. ☑ Keywords relevant to the job spec ☑ Powerful, rather than passive, verbs – I controlled, I enforced, I managed ☑ Spellcheck and grammar check ☑ Proof read by at least 1 other person ☑

CV LENGTH

Keep to Work Experience from the past 10 years ☑ 1 – 2 pages ☑ No long sentences – all content concise and easily understood ☑

CV FORMAT

Bullet points ☑ Headings and bold for titles ☑ Last/current job listed first, then work backwards ☑ Order most relevant section at top of page 1 ☑

REFERENCES

Organise a reference from your last employer and 1 – 2 other previous employers ☑ No need to include on CV ☑ Other acceptable references: charities, former clients, university professor or mentor ☑

COVER LETTER

Job title in Subject Line ☑ Use hiring manager’s name ☑ Highlight what you will bring to the company ☑ Include any necessary links ☑ Attach CV ☑

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Cpl Resources plc.8-34 Percy Place, Dublin 4

T +353 1 614 6000E info@cpl.comW www.cpl.com

CV Checklist ☑ Notes

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CVHandbookCpl Resources plc.8-34 Percy Place,Dublin 4

T: +353 1 614 6000E: info@cpl.ieW: www.cpljobs.com/ie