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Better CVs

The Lutz & Partners Guide to a Better CV

We see a lot of CVs and, despite their importance, a surprisingly high proportion contain some basic errors.  Stellar careers, winning personalities and impressive degrees are all let down by bad spelling, confusing presentation, or unclear writing.

While you are preparing your CV, we suggest you remember these seven key points:

1. Include a Summary

Summaries are increasingly used, but also frequently bypassed.  They're useful in particular circumstances, such as an unorthodox or complex background, but not always necessary.

The summary can help the reader to understand quickly who you are and whether you're an interesting candidate.  Tell the reader - in short sentences and in no more than a few lines - what you do and what you have to offer.

2. It's not all about you!

Employers hire people to solve problems, not to give them a job.

The worst and most common mistake is to focus on you.  Your CV should not be about what you want: your personal development, your career aspirations or your desire for money.

Your CV should immediately answer any employer's first question: "What can you do for me?" It's what you can do that interests the reader.  How will you add value to their operations, or contribute to their efficiency?  Can you double sales?  Restructure and improve processes?  Establish new management structures that reduce costs and improve efficiency?

3. Focus on your results, not just your duties

Effective CVs detail each job with concise summaries of responsibilities and results.

• What did you accomplish?
• How did you make yourself valuable?
• How did sales, revenue, or efficiency measurably increase because of you?
• What results did you achieve - from ordinary duties and from special projects?

4. Keep the content simple and to the point

Short, clear words and sentences are easier to read.

• Don't use a complex word when a simple one would do - a CV that isn't clear and to the point is difficult to read and easy to refuse.
• Be careful of company or industry jargon.
• Leave out the unnecessary information. If you have a university degree, your high school diploma is superfluous. If you have built up 15 years in management, your first job as a junior sales rep is unlikely to say anything significant about you.
• If your employer isn't a major global operation that everyone has heard of, provide a brief description of its activities and an indication of its size.

5. Keep the layout simple and without surprises

If your document is too long, find ways to shorten the text - don't reduce the font size or enlarge your margins to extremes.  If you can't see what text could go, think about what is relevant to the reader.

Keep categories where people expect them to be - don't ask the reader to hunt for your education record in the middle of your CV.

• Keep professional experience and education in reverse chronological order.
• Keep paragraphs short - use bullet points for clarity.
• Keep your margins and indentation uniform.
• Don't use tables and lines. 
• Use tabs rather than spaces to separate.
• Remember that white space is an important visual device that enables clarity. 

6. Don't rely on spellcheck

Your word processor's spellcheck is not 100% reliable.

Once you have checked your CV on screen, print it out and read it through carefully.

Then ask as many friends as possible to go through it (including someone who doesn't work with you or in your sector).  Ask them to read aloud and listen for where they pause - this can indicate that something is unclear or inaccurate.

Ask a native English speaker to check the language.

7. Be technologically professional

Most importantly, include an email address.

Not having an email address gives the impression you are not at ease with modern technology.

Don't use your business email address for your job search.  If you use your own private email address, you'll be contactable long after you've moved on from your present employer.  Neither will there be any potential for unprofessional and compromising revelations.

• Consider a dedicated email account to keep you organized  - try www.gmail.com or www.hotmail.com for a free address.
• Do, however, remember to give yourself a professional-sounding address.
• CVs are always kept and sent electronically.  Make sure your file is readable, especially if you use relatively unusual software (like Star or Mac).
• Give the file an easily identifiable name: your own.  "CV2007.doc" is not a good filename - it may be clear to you, but it doesn't tell the recipient anything.  "Smith.Jane.CV.doc" is a good filename: it tells the recipient who sent it and what it is.
• Don't put a password on your file - even if you send it separately, it can be lost.  Lutz & Partners won't send your CV to anyone without your knowledge and permission.  If you're worried about security, use pdf format.