The Questions Your CV Really Needs to Answer

The perfect CV – You know, the one that jumps off the page clearly conveys your skills and delivers an original personal statement, all while staying under two pages.

This might sound really obvious, but take a look at your CV now.

Does it grab your attention? Has it got just the right amount of detail without being too long? Is there enough information about your key achievements?

When reviewing and updating your CV, look at it from the perspective of the employer and ask yourself these questions.

1. Have I included my personal details?

This one is really about general housekeeping but make sure that you have included your name, the best phone number to contact you on and an email address that you check on a regular basis.

Make sure that the email address and phone number are the correct ones so as to make it easy for the employer to reach you.

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2. Where have I produced results?

Although you may be tempted to copy and paste your role responsibilities from your job description under the corresponding job summary on your CV, this doesn’t tell the employer how successful you have been in your career.

Think of five or six examples of where you have excelled. Provide details of cost savings or increased revenue (percentages or monetary figures) that you have been responsible for.

Why should the company hire you instead of one of the other candidates? Show them how you have benefitted the organisations that you have worked for.

3. Are there any unexplained gaps in my employment?

In the current economic climate, it will not be unusual to have career gaps, but it is important to explain any large periods of unemployment. For example, Did you go back to college to obtain further industry-specific qualifications?

Even if you were looking for work but were taking on unpaid assignments or volunteering for a local charity, be sure to mention these on your CV.

4. What companies have I worked for previously?

Prospective employers are really keen to know where you have worked before as it can indicate if you have the right experience and skills and knowledge of their particular sector.

5. What Are Your Main Skills?

Employers have so little time to look at each CV; therefore, you need to make it easy for them to see that you’ve got what it takes.

One great way of answering this question on your CV is by inserting a list of your skills near the top of your CV that is relevant for the job in question.

These bullet point style lists always catch the attention more than a block of text.

6. Does my CV match the job specification?

And lastly, although it is a great idea to have a general CV, when you are applying for a particular role, take some time to ‘tweak’ the document.

Read through the job specification that accompanies the job advert and check it against your CV to ensure that you have included all your relevant experiences and skills.

Move things around so that the applicable achievement or job responsibilities appear at the top of the corresponding paragraph.

In Conclusion,

Your CV really needs to answer all of these questions, then you stand more of a chance of being selected for an interview.

Not sure that your CV answers any of these questions? Consider reaching out to our professional CV  writer who will offer up a free CV review with your inquiry.