How to structure your CV for the job you want, not the job you have

Reading time: 8 Minutes

Research has found that the average CV and / or resume gets about 6 seconds of human eyeball time before a decision is made. That’s the length of a single breath!  The length of a single breath can affect your chances of getting rejected versus getting one step closer towards landing your dream job. It’s all about how well you sell yourself on a sheet of A4 paper, and it’s incredibly daunting. 

Not to fret, but I’ve been on the job hunt journey a few times throughout my 14-year career, and being an analyst at heart, I made sure to take meticulous notes in order to ensure I’m always improving. Every time I think, “this is it, my CV is finally perfect” and it usually is, the duration for that perfection only lasts for a few months. And then I get a rejection email for a job I applied for, whose criteria I was a near perfect match for, and once again I’m on the receiving end for more CV update improvement notes. As you continue reading, I’ll share what I’ve learnt so that you too can share your brilliance with the world through a single piece of meticulously crafted A4 paper.

Change is constant, embrace it

I believe the Universe tells us when we’re ready to move on from one season or challenge to the next, and I knew my time was coming to move on in 2019 when nothing excited me anymore. It wasn’t my meds that needed adjusting, it was my role - I learnt everything I could and I had to take the next step. Only the organisational structure at the company I was at during this time was so flat. The next step was four levels above my pay grade, and I was only half qualified in optimism to make it there. I applied for a few jobs with the CV that got me to this current position 4 years ago, just taking care to update the dates to indicate that I had more work experience now, along with an additional degree. But as the rejection emails started rolling in, sans any offers to interview, I realised change had to be made to my CV. 

The version I started with still had my undergrad modules listed along with indicating for which I achieved distinctions. This format was completely ill-fit for the purpose I was seeking - a more senior role with possible people management responsibilities - and to top it all off, it was written in font size 14 and three pages in length. I knew drastic changes had to be made, so I went on a research spree and uncovered the following:

• 80% of submitted CVs don’t get shortlisted by recruiters

• The average hiring manager or head recruiter will only reach out to 6 to 10 candidates for a screening call, and end up inviting 2 to 4 to interview

• A professionally written resume increases your chances to interview by 32% in addition to boosting your earning potential by 7% 

Best practice tips from multiple recruiter websites

Once I understood how important it was to adequately sell myself through my CV and that I literally had the length of a breath to make an impact, I began researching which factors mattered most in terms of format and importance of consideration. For instance, to minimise the likelihood of getting affected by biases of any kind, don’t include your personal identification or social security number as it's possible to glean gender from there. That being said, don’t add your gender, your marital status, or your address - a simple mention of the city and country you reside in should suffice. You also don’t need to mention your race, unless you absolutely feel it necessary to include. All these factors are grounds for a potential hiring manager or recruiter to discriminate and dismiss you from the cohort before even looking at factors contributing to your actual ability to do the job you’ll be hired for. i.e. accomplishments, education and overall experience. 

You’ve probably heard of ATS or Applicant Tracking Software - it's tech that companies use to filter through the 1000s of applications they receive for single vacant positions. The goal is to narrow down the pile to a few suitable candidates. You might have guessed it - yes, I absolutely researched what causes an ATS to negate a resume, and the criteria is clear:

• Stick to standard fonts like Arial or Verdana and don’t use too many different fonts in your CV, it will confuse the ATS and throw out an error saying your resume can’t be processed

• Save and share your CV in PDF format - simple and easy to share, plus universally accessible

• Don’t use tables to display information, rather use lists and bullets, as special text of any kind will also confuse the software

• Type out skills and abbreviations i.e., CPA (cost per acquisition) can also be interpreted as Consumer Protection Act, or Certified Public Accountant 

• Stick to simple and consistent date formats i.e., 07/2023 or Jul 2023 

• The maximum length of your CV or resume should be 2 pages, but try and keep it to 1 page if you can

• Stick to consistent standard sections i.e., don’t get fancy with naming your “About Me” section to “My life so far” - recruiters and hiring managers don’t have time to figure out what goes where, they’re trying to scan for the best candidates

Include the following sections as non-negotiables

As recruiters scan through thousands of applications in a week, certain things are expected - make sure your dates follow a chronological order, with the latest event going at the top - always. You can also cut down on detail for work experiences older than 5 years. And try to summarise the impact you had in your current, and previous roles as opposed to just giving a list of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) you had to reach. Instead of saying “responsible for driving growth in the customer portfolio”, say “I led a team of data scientists to build a predictive model, driving an additional 20% in revenue”. Also don’t be afraid to bold certain phrases, so it’s easier to catch when scanning over.

I’ve gone ahead and designed the below blueprint for what your CV / resume could potentially look like. In doing so, also pay attention to font sizes, as certain sections don’t hold as much weight as others, i.e., your “Education” section is more important than the “References” section initially, but both support your qualification and ability to do the job that you applied for.

Should you add a photo?

Technically a photo on your CV / resume is also an opportunity for a recruiter or hiring manager to practise discrimination or apply unconscious bias towards your application. Yet, I’ve had professional headshots taken and included a picture on my resume with very little negative impact (that I’m aware of). Your profile on LinkedIn will also most likely be viewed, where you probably have a profile picture - so what do you have to lose? I should also add that I’m in Marketing, which is a people-facing profession and I’ve found that presenting a professional appearance can count in one's favour. Yet if you’re a woman in Engineering or Economics (typically male-dominated and male-led fields) I’d be more careful to include a photo, as you might be judged purely on your looks, as opposed to your incredible accomplishments and experience. Adding a photo is ultimately up to your personal preference.

Writing a personal, yet professional “About Me” section

I hate it when a job asks for a cover letter. I understand the purpose of it, I just don’t think that most recruiters spend an adequate amount of time reading it, thus to me the risk doesn’t equal the reward. Experts also advise to tailor your cover letter to the job you’re applying for, as opposed to attaching a generic letter each time. Realistically, who has time for that if you’re applying for 12 or more jobs a day? So, solution: Bolster your “about me” section to be a personalised, yet a professional summary of who you are - here are some things you can include:

• Your hobbies - don’t include unusual ones like throwing pancakes against a roof, recruiters might disqualify you based on their personal unconscious biases, so keep it simple.

• How many years of experience you have in a nutshell, and in which industries. 

• Mention key skills you’ve mastered i.e., Data Analytics in Python and R, or Senior Copywriting and QA.

• You can also mention how colleagues would describe you, as this would give potential hiring managers a glimpse of what working with you would be like, or add snippets from reviews people left on your LinkedIn profile for even more credibility.

• Any other statement you feel might make you stand out i.e., “I’m not afraid of confrontation or getting my hands dirty in finding the best solution for the business / team”

• Whether you’ve travelled and where - it makes for good conversation during interviews.

• Languages you speak, and their proficiency levels.

There’s no perfect template to this and nothing is ever beyond criticism, so make sure your statements represent your most authentic self, along with your qualifications and skills.

Final thoughts on that CV

Starting the process can be incredibly intimidating, and just know you’ll have to put in at least a day of work if you’re starting with a blank slate. But once it’s done, it’s done and you have a starting point from which to keep on improving. I started out using www.cvmkr.com (free version), but if you’re not a paying member, you have very little control of how the final product renders. I’ve since used Google Docs with a free template I found via Pinterest. Nowadays my CV sits in Canva, and I have more control over how to structure my personal-selling tool visually, plus there’s millions of free templates available to edit. Find one that works for you, and run with it! And remember - the world needs your brilliance, so don’t stand in your own way.