The Perfect CV (Part 1): How to Write a Great CV

Unfortunately, it doesn’t exist.

There is no such thing as The Perfect CV.   If you talk to 100 different people, you will get 100 different opinions.  I have worked as a headhunter for 25 years.  I have seen thousands of CVs.  And I have read at least 10 books on how to write a CV.  Even so, I can guarantee that if I were to write your CV in what I believe to be the most effective format, you could probably find several people who told you they thought it was rubbish and needed complete re-writing.

The obsession that job hunters have with crafting the perfect CV stems, I think, from the hope that they can make a ‘magic bullet’ that, on its own, will be sufficient to open doors, win interviews, and bag a job.  Unfortunately, there has been plenty of research conducted to show that CV submissions alone lead to a job in less than 1% of cases.

CVs play a relatively minor role in the overall job hunt; there are far more important things you could be doing to find a job than endlessly polishing your CV.   The cover letter, for example, is in many ways much more important for new graduates;  and networking is more important for more experienced job seekers.  For really senior people, the CV comes more or less as an afterthought – it is written by the headhunter quite late in the overall Search process.

And yet…

Whilst a great CV will not be sufficient to get you a job, unfortunately, a poor CV will be enough to kybosh your chances. There are some pretty basic things you can do to improve your chances.

To find out how read part 2 of ‘The Perfect CV’ series. Click here to read.

Author: Rupert Reed Last edited 8th December 2023