When you’re changing careers, 10 Tips for a ‘helpful’ CV – the one recruiters want to see!

I thought for a while about ‘helpful’. 

I could have said ‘winning’ or ‘successful’ as both words clearly give the impression that these tips will help you win an interview, which is presumably the desired outcome.

But I chose ‘helpful’ because perhaps that’s a better emphasis. 

The purpose of your CV is to help the reader clearly see your suitability for an advertised role. You need to make it as easy as possible for them to place your CV on the interview pile. Instead of taking the lazy route and firing off the same CV to every jobs board and opportunity you can find, take the decision to tailor your skills and experience every single time. Put the reader’s needs first.

This is what Head of Human Resources Stephen Walsh has to say:

‘ job seekers should consider their CV as an 'editable' document which can be customised according to the job they are applying for. A CV should not necessarily be thought of as 'one glove fits all'. Instead, various achievements and experiences can be highlighted according to their relevance to the requirements of the new role, whether the new role is a career step-change or a natural progression.’

A new job or a new career?

If you’re anxious about the security of your job or your industry, you may be thinking about what else you can do and how you can demonstrate the relevance of your experience to a new sector or role. But are you looking for a new job or a completely new career?

I’ve written before about how you can how to go all-in on creating a new working life that really fits you , or taking lockdown as a starting point to consider a new career.

If you have time and a financial cushion, I’d still advocate taking time to understand what you really want from your career.

However, when a recession hits and work is difficult to find, your next steps may be more about survival than fulfillment. Take a moment to ask yourself how urgent this job search is – do you have space to take stock and re-evaluate your career? Is this an opportunity to build something more personally rewarding?

But if you reach the conclusion that you need a job now, then I hope these CV tips will help you to present yourself as well as you can for a difficult jobs market. And even if you’re pausing for a career change, at some point you’ll need to put this advice into action on a CV that really sells you into a new area.

Transferring to a new sector or role?

The key is to show your relevance – which of your skills match the advertised role? What experience and achievements have a bearing on this opportunity? What personal qualities or strengths could make a difference?

Make it easy for the reader to see how your past successes and experience fit this opportunity. It’s your job to do that heavy lifting, not the reader who may well have 100s of CVs to review. Many recruiters will scan your CV in a matter of seconds, so make first impressions count.

Also ask yourself how easy is it for your reader to makes sense of your career history? Will they understand why you made certain moves and why you invested in additional learning as an important part of your career development?

This comment from HR Team Lead and Consultant Gamze Hakli Geray sums it up well:

‘From my experience and personal perspective, the process is not always about changing career or shifting roles (unless the candidate directly focuses on a brand new area) but rather making his/her career path evolve, adding fresh or complimentary branches, enriching it with additional skills and competencies, getting engaged in a real lifelong learning process, gaining continuous value added knowledge on a daily basis, alongside collaboration with valuable networks.

So I believe it is important to reflect the path, the intentions, the guiding motive behind the change and the clear purpose on the CV.’

Taking a little time to understand your journey will make it far more likely that you can show your relevance to your target role through your CV and application. My free guide to Joining the Dots in Your Career Transitions will help - and you can request your copy here.

Contact me for your free guide

It goes without saying…

First, let’s consider the basic foundations upon which you build en effective CV.

It goes without saying that your CV should:

·      Be truthful

·      List an accurate career history

·      Include no typos or spelling mistakes

·      Avoid a torrent of industry-specific jargon

·      Be 1-2 pages maximum – however long your history, edit concisely

·      Be clear, well-spaced, unfussy and easy to read

And for your best CV

Do your homework before rushing to update your current CV.  If you approach this as a serious and potentially lengthy campaign, this groundwork will pay off.

Gather evidence of:

·      your professional achievements

·      statistics to support successful outcomes for which you were responsible 

·      review the job description and highlight your fit

·      research the reality of the role and note your suitability

·      prepare to adapt your CV to each and every application (Yes, really!)

Only by doing this will you be able to make the reader see how well you fit the job description, the person specification, and the realities that aren’t included in the official listing.

I recommend producing a core CV that presents you effectively, but which you will tailor for each role.

If the advertised role offers contact details, always get in touch so that you understand why the role is being advertised at this time, whether you are considered a viable candidate, and important details about current organizational drivers and priorities. This intelligence can be carefully woven into your application documents.

Wherever possible, gather insider knowledge about this organization from your network.

For a CV with the right kind of impact

With all this in mind, here are my top tips for a CV that has impact and relevance:

1. Is there a CV standard for your industry? It’s a good idea to ensure your CV fits professional expectations. For example, many finance roles expect a one-page CV. What’s best practice in your profession? Adapt accordingly.

2. Tell a success story. This isn’t about bragging but clearly providing evidence that you have been effective in your role(s). When bullet pointing evidence for each role, think in terms of outcomes – provide measurable data if you can

e.g. increased client engagement by 23% over 18 months

 Allow your enthusiasm to come across and where possible, use phrasing that grabs attention and who expresses you are.

3. Lead bullet points with verbs that match the desired skills. The job description lists what they need you to do, so use the same verbs and illustrate with evidence as in point #2. Remember that active verbs like ‘initiated’ are more powerful than a more passive construction like ‘I was responsible for.’ The latter lacks impact because it tells of what you were required to do and not what you actually achieved.

Using verbs that match the job/person details is also helpful if software is doing a keyword search. Under each entry, arrange the bullet points most relevant to this role in order of priority.

4. DO include relevant personal evidence. Draw on interests, successes and evidence from your life outside work that match the role. They reflect important skills and values and may also be a vital way of later connecting with your interviewer.

5. Consider an Achievements section early in your CV – this sets a great tone, shows success and relevance if you adapt it each time. This can also help the reader join the dots in a varied career.

6.  Show evidence of personal attributes (e.g. resilience, collaboration) as well as relevant technical know-how. Again, include evidence to illustrate the person specification.

7. If it’s recommended for your industry, include a personal statement early in your CV. This further demonstrates your relevance in terms of skills and experience to the role and needs to be adapted each time. You can expand on this in your cover letter or application form, so keep it brief and very clear. This is also a good way of revealing the WHY of your career and telling a brief but coherent career story.

8. Remember the software scan

Many organisations will use applicant tracking software (ATS) or Bots to read your CV. This is one reason why I advise using the job description keywords in your CV. Another way to make your CV software-friendly is by uploading a Word doc rather than a pdf, as not all systems will be able to read a pdf. Remember to ensure the file size is as small as possible so it will be acceptable to electronic systems.

9. Ditch the jargon and choose your language positively

It’s easy to forget that some of the language that’s familiar within in one industry is actually jargon to those outside it. Remove industry-specific jargon and think about how you can re-phrase to include every reader - especially if you are changing sectors or industries. If in doubt, ask a friend outside your industry to check for clarity.

Matthew Ranson, Programme Director of the ENOC at Expo 2020 Dubai Programme, reminds applicants to “use compelling language that would help bring your work to life. Strong action verbs, used with interesting phrasing to outline exemplary achievements, are essential parts of a well-constructed CV. Make it interesting.”

This is echoed by others in my network who remember key phrases from some standout CVs they’ve received just because they were very individual to the applicant. This is especially useful in the personal statement where you have a few more words to play with. Be yourself.

10. Show your intentions

When you’re moving into a new industry, it’s important to demonstrate any learning, reading or experience you have that is highly relevant to your target role. As Sarah Knight, owner of Sarah West Recruitment says:

“You could add any relevant reading you've done, intentions to get qualifications relevant to the new industry, relevant work experience or anything else that adds relevant key words into the document under an 'other information' section. This might see you get picked up on a 'key word search' on a job board or CV library by a hiring decision maker who's searching for candidates.”

Sarah also reminds candidates to ensure their LinkedIn profile echoes the details of your CV - there should be no obvious discrepancies as this will place doubts in the reader’s mind.

And the no, no, nos..

How about the pet hates of recruiters and HR managers? These are some of the CV bloopers that make hearts sink because they mean you’ve missed the opportunity to really demonstrate why you’re a great fit for their role. 

So, DO NOT:

X      Merely list the job description or duties for each role – that shows what was

expected, not what you actually achieved 

X     Mix tenses – it’s better to write consistently in the past tense

e.g. Developed a strategy for… resulting in ….

Led a team of… to deliver…. by …..

X      Leave unexplained gaps – the reader will wonder what’s missing. If you’ve had a career break perhaps to raise a family, say so. And if you’ve had a long career, concentrate on the last 10 years. You might group a series of roles before that with a summary statement.

X     Include ‘CV’ or ‘Curriculum Vitae’ as the title of your document – your name is the title and should appear at the top of the page

X      Send it without a second pair of trusted eyes to spot mistakes

X      Include your date of birth, age or personal circumstances – all are irrelevant to your suitability for the job and in the UK are not expected or wanted. But do follow the conventions of the market you’re being recruited for on this final point.

X      Ignore the keywords in the job description – if a bot is doing the first scan, you’ll miss out

I hope these tips have started you thinking about your CV as a living document, designed to be adapted for each application and to help the reader see your relevance.

I help my career change clients work on their CV once they are clear and committed to their career direction. With that confidence and alignment it’s so much easier to show why an opportunity is such a great fit.

If you’d like to set up a free career consultation just hit the button below – I’d love to help you achieve a more personally rewarding career!