Job Seekers: CV Tips from A Veteran Recruiter

Veteran ARM recruiter Sultan Mahmud has, quite literally, seen more CVs than he’s had hot dinners, so he knows a thing or two about writing them. He’s not so sure about blogging, though.

At work I am known as a “blog champion”, although I have never entered a competition.

Every month I am asked to write a piece which I believe should be up to the exceptional literary standard set by our Marketing Manager, and every month I sit for hours trying to come up with something that will capture my audience and add value to people who are trudging through the recruitment journey. I often think my blog handiwork leaves people wanting - but not wanting more!

These are the same emotions I felt when I wrote my first CV when I left university. I was wracked with doubts and questions about it: What should I tell people about me? What do they want to hear? How should it look? What font should I use - Times New Roman, Arial, or something else?

How long should my CV be?

Having now been in recruitment for 10 years and seen more CVs then I’ve had hot dinners (I mean really, not proverbially), I would recommend the following:

Contact Details

Give your most up to date contact details including home and mobile number, as well as email address.

Profile

This should be about a paragraph long and gives the reader a synopsis of who you are and why they should meet you. Be imaginative (If you come to work on the dot and leave on the dot, let the reader know you are efficient!)

Technical Skills Summary

Always a useful tool to clearly show your skills and level of competence.

Order

Put your most recent experience first, I.e. at the top of your CV. Your most recent experience should also be the most detailed: provide less detail for each previous position. Make sure that dates on your CV match up!

Demonstrable ability and work or study experience

Your CV should clearly and accurately demonstrate your suitability for the role. Also outline achievements: employers are looking to see why they should hire you. Tell them if you have made huge profits for your current or previous employers, saved money by improving processes, or relevant achievements in academia or training.

Tailor your CV

This is something many people don’t bother to do. Why wouldn’t you tailor your CV for each role to which you are applying? Hint – you should! At least include a cover letter highlighting relevant skills.

Check out our Jobseeker tips page for more hints and tips.

I hope that helps. Now where’s my typewriter?

Sultan Mahmud

Technology Recruitment Team Leader

Add me on LinkedIn

www.arm.co.uk

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