A CV is still, even in this world of AI, one of the core documents you need for any job hunt. A good CV can be tweaked very quickly and easily to tailor it for each different application. It can also help you stand out in a world of identically generated documents.
Always remember that the fundamental purpose of any CV, is to show what you can offer to your potential employer. Far too many job seekers structure their applications (and interview answers!) around what the job can offer them. Those recruiting through Smart Thinking have often reported to us their frustration that so many candidates forget to mention what it is that they can offer them. Don’t fall into this trap.
But first let’s talk length. A 2-page CV is the most you should ever be offering to anyone. If it is longer than that then you haven’t been ruthless enough and will have definitely included some padding – not ideal if you are applying for a role that requires good writing skills and clarity of thought!
Below is a list of the different sections you need to include. In terms of style you don’t need fancy borders or multiple fonts competing for your reader’s eye but do make it clean and clutter-free and clear where every section starts and finishes.
Likewise, the sections below are listed in the usual order they can be found on a CV, but this is your CV so feel free to play with the format if that better reflects who you are.
Basic information
Basic information is your name, email address and a contact phone number. There is no need for date of birth, postal address or anything else – and lots of applications are now done through blind recruitment so not even your name will be used. Double and triple check the details are correct however, there would be nothing worse than being selected for interview but never receiving the invite! The advantage of such limited information is that it does not take up too much of your two pages. You can either have it altogether at the top or include it at the very bottom, but the main rule is to always include your name at the top of your CV.
Personal statement
A short, snappy summary of who you are and what you can offer. This is your big opener, the paragraph that tells people why they want to take a further look at your application. Start to tell the story of you, highlight your key skills and a (brief) potted history of relevant roles or projects. If you are a student this can include your degree specialism, any projects/research of note or extra-curricular activities that show a useful skill.
The rest of your CV won’t matter if an employer’s eyes don’t wander past these first few lines so it is important to spend some time getting it right. This is also the part of the CV that is easiest to adapt for each role you apply for. This attention to detail is particularly important when applying in the policy sector.
Keep the language active ‘A highly motivated Policy Officer specialising in net zero macroeconomic analysis’ is much more appealing than ‘I have spent three years working in X think tank as a Policy Officer’.
Education
Education. Education. Education. Vital in any CV, but let’s keep it relevant. Do they need to know what your History GCSE result is? Probably not. Make the list chronological with the most recent qualification first. Remember to keep it to your academic education and serious professional industry level qualifications. The further you move into the workplace and away from your time as a student the less relevant this section becomes. If you have been working for over 5 years, it might make more sense for your employment history and skills to move above this section.
Employment history
As with education, this should be in order of most recent first. Here is your opportunity to list your responsibilities within each job and how they demonstrate your suitability for this particular role. Consider the requirements the recruiter has listed as the most important to them, can you highlight any particular role or responsibility you’ve had that ties in well? Don’t assume they will make this connection themselves, this is your chance to make that connection obvious and sell your skills.
Skills
This is a clever way to make the employer see exactly how you fit their requirements. You can either pull this out into a separate, clear section (bullet points work well for this) near the top of the CV or bullet point particular skills you developed or demonstrated under each separate job in the employment history section.
Publications/impact
For a policy or think tank CV it is important to highlight key projects you have worked on. For a policy researcher this might be a list of policy publications you’ve contributed to; for an events officer it might be a conference you produced and for a communications role it could be where your organisation has been cited in the press as a result of your efforts. Think laterally and don’t be afraid to really shine.
Interests
A recruiter once told us that unless you have represented your country at the Olympics, nothing in the interests section is really interesting enough. With that in mind, and also acknowledging that if you are a student a lot of your experiences will be from items in this area, we have included it nonetheless. This section, however, should be brief. List three to four things that you do as a hobby and that offer some indication about you as a person. ‘Spending time with family and friends’ offers no insight or interest. ‘Road cyclist’ or ‘soup kitchen volunteer’ offers more of a sense of dedication and personality.
Finally!
After you’ve faithfully listed down all your relevant experience, education and skills and edited it to be the most compelling it can be, do not fall at the final hurdle and not proof read properly. In a world where hundreds of CVs are received for one position, employers are looking for an easy way to cut the pile. Spelling mistakes, incorrect dates or sloppy formatting makes their job easier by immediately consigning your CV to the reject bin.
