How to write a CV that a hiring manager wants to read

This post started as notes for a book. "What would be better?" I thought "In this time of recession, than to prey on peoples fears of losing their job and write a book on how to write a CV." And then I did the research and read through about 15 books on how to write a CV and I could barely keep them apart. They all follow the same formula and cover the same stuff. So instead of adding to the dung heap category of 'how to write a CV' I thought I'd pull together my thoughts and explain what I look for in a CV. Hopefully other managers looking for this stuff as well.

First some don'ts - so if your CV does any of these... stop it, now, edit it, fix it:



I don't care:

• about the size of your last employer,


• how many staff they employ,


• about their annual turnover,


• what they do to make money.

Why?

Because I hire you - or you want me to - so do tell me:

• their name (I can use Google and find them if I want to),


• when you worked for them,


• where you worked for them,


• what you did for them,


• about how you creatively used any gaps in your CV. e.g. I spent 6 months not working, instead I wrote a commercial software tool. I didn't make any money doing it but my CV has this as a positive because I learned so much.


• how many people you managed.

I want to distinguish between the candidates so ensure the CV tells me:

• Something about each role that makes me think you did a good job,


• What you learned on that job and what skills you bring forward,


• Anything pragmatic and creative that you did that added value.

I want to see relevant information to the role:

• I don't care about the time you worked as a barman, but I might care about what you learned that you can carry forward.


• I don't care about your high school grades, but I might care about any 'special' projects that you learned more stuff.

I don't need a list of tools that you have used at work:

• I want to know how you used the tools


• Any creative ways you implemented the tools


• Unconventional tools to get a job done

Things I do like to see that I rarely see on CVs, but everytime I see them I have hired the person:

• how you keep up to date with your industry,


• how you keep your skills up to date, if you only learn on the job (forget about me hiring you)


• your blog details, but you need to have more than two posts.


• relevant publications that you have written,


• conference talks that you have given,


• open source projects that you have contributed to, and I do check this.

A common theme runs this lot. I don't intend to recruit you because of what you've done. I intend to recruit you because of what you can do for me. What you can bring to my environment that I do not yet have. Your enthusiasm for your chosen role should shine out of the CV.

If you don't do any of the above and so can't add it to the CV.

If you have no enthusiasm for your role.

Then either start, or find a new career.

I don't recruit for average, or less than average. If you excel, but your CV makes it look as though you don't, then do something about it.