{"id":13894,"date":"2024-03-08T16:30:50","date_gmt":"2024-03-08T16:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projectglobal.tdwdev.co.uk\/?p=13894"},"modified":"2025-08-08T16:35:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T15:35:08","slug":"how-to-write-a-cv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projectglobal.tdwdev.co.uk\/?p=13894","title":{"rendered":"How To Write A CV"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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I have worked in the recruitment industry for close to 11 years. Over the course of my career I\u00a0estimate that I have read roughly 200,000 resumes, give or take. I have seen countless spelling\u00a0errors and \u2018creative\u2019 applications (including photographs of candidates at parties, on safari, and one\u00a0particularly memorable applicant who included a pic of himself dressed in a frog suit.)<\/p>

Here are my top tips for writing a successful resume.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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  • Spell check. Have a friend read it for you and pay attention to spelling in context, as some\u00a0words will be missed by an automated spell checker (for example, you are applying for a\u00a0\u00a0\u2018role,\u2019 not a \u2018roll.\u2019)<\/li>
  • Stick to plain and simple. Recruiters and hiring managers are in a hurry, and may not read\u00a0between the lines. Make it easy for us to identify that you have the skills and experience we\u00a0are looking for.\u00a0<\/li>
  • Use a plain font and avoid pictures, graphics, colour and borders, unless you work in a\u00a0creative industry (and even then, remember that taste is relative and use your flair with\u00a0caution). Avoid using tables when applying through a recruitment agency as these are\u00a0difficult to reformat, and many agency recruiters will be required to amend your CV to\u00a0match their company branding before sending to a client.<\/li>
  • Where possible, tailor your CV to the specific vacancy that you are applying for. If time\u00a0prevents you from preparing a new CV for every application, at least write a couple of CVs to\u00a0suit roles in particular sectors. Do not send a CV to a marketing role that includes a profile\u00a0stating your dream is to work as an accountant.<\/li>
  • Do not lie. It\u2019s not worth the risk.\u00a0<\/li>
  • If you are applying for jobs globally, or you have relocated, check the standard format for CV\u00a0writing in your new or desired location. For example, in the UK recruiters remove (or at least\u00a0they should) photos from CVs in order to avoid bias in the recruitment process.\u00a0<\/li>
  • Be sparing with superlatives. If you are a recent school leaver, stating that you have\u00a0\u2018extensive experience\u2019 in any area will come across as na\u00efve at best. Regardless of your level\u00a0of expertise, use phrases that indicate measurability, such as \u2018I have advanced Excel skills\u2019\u00a0rather than \u2018my technical ability is outstanding.\u2019 Confidence should not be confused with\u00a0arrogance.<\/li>
  • Listen to your recruiter\u2019s advice. They are likely to have an intimate knowledge of their client\u2019s\u00a0individual quirks and preferences and can tailor your CV accordingly.\u00a0<\/li>
  • Do include a hobbies section, but try to keep it professional, truthful and take care with\u00a0humour. Do not claim to have a keen interest in netball if you haven\u2019t played for ten years,\u00a0as you may find yourself, as one of our candidates did, in an interview with a leading netball\u00a0umpire who will very quickly discover your exaggeration.\u00a0<\/li>
  • Don\u2019t reference a personal blog unless the blog relates to a professional topic and is written\u00a0with the same care that you have used throughout the rest of your application.\u00a0<\/li>
  • When you think your CV is perfect, read it again<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I have worked in the recruitment industry for close to 11 years. Over the course of my career I\u00a0estimate that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13895,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-careers-advice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectglobal.tdwdev.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectglobal.tdwdev.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectglobal.tdwdev.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectglobal.tdwdev.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectglobal.tdwdev.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13894"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/projectglobal.tdwdev.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13894\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13899,"href":"https:\/\/projectglobal.tdwdev.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13894\/revisions\/13899"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectglobal.tdwdev.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectglobal.tdwdev.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectglobal.tdwdev.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectglobal.tdwdev.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}