CV Do’s And Don’ts

DO’S

Try to keep your CV straightforward and

easy to read with well demarcated

sections. 

Thoroughly check spelling and

grammar.  This goes beyond a spell

check using word processing software

(many words are not picked up by these

such as the common misspelling of

coordinate as “co-ordinate”).  Wherever

possible ask friends or colleagues to

read through your CV so obvious errors

are not missed.  Spelling or grammatical

mistakes might suggest poor attention to

detail which can be an issue for

employers.

Balance content against length.  Whilst a

two page CV is the textbook ideal, this is

not always possible. Using ridiculously

small text to accommodate two pages

can be more detrimental than having an

extra page.  It is rarely advisable to have

a large volume of pages however if you

feel that the experience you have is

relevant and you need more pages to

explain this, balance this against the

impact of a shorter CV.  Would leaving a

key detail out potentially cost you the

job?  If you believe this might be the

case then it is better to leave the detail

in.  What you should cut is unnecessary

information such as descriptions of jobs

that were 10 years ago in unrelated

fields.

Adjust the CV to suit the role.  If you

have a job description it can be

advisable to adjust your CV so that it

more readily highlights the aspects of

your experience relevant to the role to

which you are applying.  CVs with a

specific role in mind are almost always

more successful than those written for

any generic position.  This is particularly

true of graduate applications.

Remember that a CV is primarily a

selling tool.  It is not an autobiography

but a way of persuading a consumer to

buy a product; namely a company to

decide that your skills are worth paying

for.  You should think about the skills

and experience that would appeal to an

employer, not include everything you

have done.  The “kitchen sink” approach

can mean that your relevant skills are

lost in your CV or not sold enough.

DON’TS

Put your photograph on your CV. 

You want the employer to consider

you on the basis of your skill set not

what you look like.

Have overly elaborate or stylistic CV

formatting such as a multitude of

colour or a huge range of fonts. 

Too many job applicants spend too

much time on CV design and not

enough on CV content.  Except in

professions reliant on design (such

as graphic design) a highly stylistic

CV will have little or no impact.  If a

CV is hard to follow because of its

design it can be detrimental to ones

chances.  Experience and

achievements speak volumes; the

ability to use CV templates does not.

Be afraid to omit sections

recommended by CV templates. 

Don’t spend hours agonising over

what you should put in the

Hobbies/Interests section of a CV

particularly when you are suffering

from a lack of space.  The reality is

that this section is rarely read by

interviewers.  The exception to this

is of course graduate positions

(where extra-curricular activity at

University can be important) or

companies that put high value on

staff having outside interests (such

as management consulting). 

Stick rigidly to traditional CV

ordering.  It is a good idea to put

your personal/contact details first

but beyond that remember that you

need to catch an employer’s eye

(without gimmicks) so that they

make a buying decision.  For

example, if you have weaker

academics but convincing work

history, put your education on the

second page.

Use unnecessary space with details

of references.  You should simply

state that: “References are available

on request”. 

Have long wordy paragraphs.  In

general, bullet points are a much

more effective way of summing up

experience in an easy to read

format.

Undersell yourself.  Ensure that

particularly your most recent role is

described in an amount of detail;

include relevant key achievements or

recent successes.