What makes a CV standout?

[back2workback2reality]

Posting for traffic and fast replies as I need to do this today

NC to hide all posting history from any potential employer obviously

I've been out of work since a difficult pregnancy with my DS who is now 6

I can only be truthful on my application but what would make me stand out on a CV?

(I have experience for the position) but I haven't worked now for over 7 years and prior to that I'd had a career change for a few years from this type of work too so say 10 years ago I had experience...

I don't want a dated, boring looking application compared to the new 20 something year olds I would be competing against to get to interview...

if you want to stand out and not "look boring", try using a garish typeface and clipart.

ORRRRRRR concentrate on the content, not on how the thing looks...

Don't make it too full of text, short and sweet. Make sure there's some white space. Most CVs are looked at for a minute or two at most to see whether to shortlist. Only those that make the cut will be read in more detail. If you can't find what you need to tick the essentials to shortlist within 30-60 seconds then you might miss out. It's not just what you write, it's making it easy to find. Try googling 'words in tables cv' for an idea of a clear layout.

Well the content is sort of set...

I can't really suddenly claim I was a secret service spy

Thank you smallest

Standard CV content - preferably no longer than 2 pages. Tailored to role. To stand out, I would give the interviewers a hook in the interests. 90% of the CVs I read have interests 'travelling, socialising and sport'. Put something different in there to give them something to open with - maybe you used to know something about Roman pottery, or welsh spoon carving. Doesn't have to be your main spare time activity, but just something to get a conversation started.

Look at your cv again and see if you can include things where you provided the original idea, or managed a project through to completion. Anywhere you stepped up when your employer was short of management resource. Anything that shows you have a wider experience that this job requires, that they could call on in an emergency.
Good luck.

please don't try and stand out in a bad way! So no photo and don't include your date of birth, marital status, ethnicity etc Don't head it up CV either!

Concentrate on what you have achieved rather than what you did in each job. Try and add in highlights such as reduced turnover by x%, cut the budget by £3000, speeded up the order time, increased diversity in recruits etc.

Hobbies don't tend to appear on modern CVs.

A good layout would be:

Name (title of the cv!)
Address, phone no and email

Personal statement (100 words max about who you are and why you want the job - male sure it's tailored to the role)

Work exp. For each role do the job title, company name and duration you were there. Then under that do a bullet point list of main responsibilities, then a bullet point Liz of key achievements (eg won x award, completed x training, delivered x result)

Then education

Then other info - interests, relevant computer skills, qualifications that don't fit in the education bit

Keep the whole thing to two pages and tailor as much as you can to the role. Go through the ad/job spec for the role and make sure every point they've mentioned you've got ticked off on your cv and cover letter.

Good luck!

Start with 2-3 lines of who you are. Your elevator pitch. "I'm and experienced project manager having deployed large scale projects in to multi site government departments"

Achievements. "I implemented a change programme that resulted in cost reduction of x%. I expedited key milestones in order to deliver the financial benefit sooner, saving £x."

Keys skills. Just name your skills.

Job history. Explain gaps. Find a positive spin on why you have been out for 7 years. Give us more info and we could help you with this bit.

Qualifications last.

No one cares about your hobbies. If they do, they'll ask.

Just been doing mine.

Personal statement seems to be the new thing since I did it a few years ago. Everything else is factual so this is your chance to add a bit of your personality and drive ambition etc. There are lots of examples on Google on employment sites etc

Don't write your personal statement as if you're the second coming.

"I am a highly talented professional with eleventy billion years of experience. I want to join your company, fix your company, OWN your company."

It sounds batshit. Put something simple, easy to understand and realistic.

Don't detail 'household management' as an area of experience. Yes - I just read a CV covering this. The woman had bags of professional experience, I don't want to know that she paid her electricity bill on time (it's just a direct debit ffs).

Learn a few tricks in Word and format your CV professionally. It doesn't need to have bells and whistles, but just make sure all the tables, bullet points etc align!

Use your name as the filename - much easier to remember candidates that way.

Look at what the essential criteria is and spell it out for them that you have met it. If it says ‘must have experience of project management’ say use the phrase project management then tell them about that experience. The phrase is definitely not going to do it on its own, but it focuses someone who is looking for it.

I'm going to go against the grain a little and recommend asking a graphic designer to elevate the style a little. Last time I was hiring I received about 20 CVs that looked identical, and one that was just a little bit fancier, and 100x more memorable.

It was still completely professional, but even using different fonts and a more curated layout meant they already had a sub-conscious leg up.

if you want to stand out and not "look boring", try using a garish typeface and clipart. orrrr concentrate on the content, not on how the thing looks

What a stupid comment. Does anyone actually use clipart any more.

Visuals are important too. A really well chosen font can make a different. Great spacing and layout of key info. I have a friend who's a graphic designer and she's helped me with this stuff.

OP if I were you I'd google and try and find as many examples as possible - then copy the template you thinks looks best.

Thank you all very helpful

It's probably an entry level job, likely to attract school leavers more than people who already have a career, but whilst I may have stood out a decade ago, I'm now in competition I would imagine due to age and career gap.

My actual career is completely different, but this would be a convenient return to work opportunity for a few years until DS is easier to manage career and single motherhood around.

(I know plenty do it fine, I've been very unwell though so approaching it gently)

Cross posted with sonders. Totally agree.

Why would you put qualifications last? Qualifications are the first thing I look at on a CV

Just keep it short and focussed on the position you're applying for.

Several pages, detailing the names and ages of your children, summer jobs from your University days and a list of your hobbies and interests will just annoy the person trawling through a load of CVs to shortlist.

@greendale17 - it depends entirely on the role and the candidate's level of experience. With 25 years of job history on my CV, my qualifications aren't even on there any more, no one really needs to know about my 'C' in O-level woodwork...

Why would you put qualifications last? Qualifications are the first thing I look at on a CV

Does it depend on the sortof role?

I look at work history more than anything. If there is good experience, the qualifications are pretty irrelevant to me.

My qualifications are at the bottom too. No one cares at this point.

I have Employment History, Career Highlights (mini case studies of best projects) Key Skills, then Qualifications.

Please don't use colours or "funky' fonts, don't put a picture of yourself, and unless your hobbies are related to your job, or will impact your working, don't put them on your CV.

Don't try to be funny or cute, or use text speak

And please double, and triple check your spelling

Don't waste space at the top with the words "CV". People know what they are looking at (use your name as the title). Similarly limit contact information to phone/email at the top. You can put your full address at the end - so many CVs I have seen waste a good third or half the page with name and address info all proudly centred.

Make it human and personal, not full or bullshit buzzwords.
But do use active, positive words, not self-deprecating passivity.
Use clear fonts and white space well - don't feel obliged to cram every last thing in.

(Basically it's a professional thumbnail sketch of you, but I always like to read about the person you are as well, as that's important too. For example, if there was absolutely no interests or hobbies listed, I might wonder what they really do. If they said they enjoyed live re-enactments of the American Civil War, then I would have something interesting to ask them about as an intro to relax them a bit and see them as a person, not just a candidate.)

Why would you put qualifications last? Qualifications are the first thing I look at on a CV

Maybe if you’re hiring a recent graduate. If someone has 15 years of experience that’s what I need to know about as a hiring manager.

I can’t speak for all employers, but the Hobbies and Interests section is meaningless to me. It’s either deathly dull (‘I enjoy the cinema, reading and eating out’ - who doesn’t?) or puts me off - ‘Very active on social media’ was one that was a massive red flag for me.

Use spellcheck - a CV that actually has the correct spelling will stand out a mile!