Guidance for Writing a Powerful CV.
Media Steps Consulting was launched in 2011. We aim to provide an excellent experience for our candidates and clients. We have an efficient consultative approach which enables us to get to the bottom of a candidate’s requirements and motivations. Media Steps are included on several Preferred Supplier Lists with top event/media organisations. We often source candidates for roles that are not available in the public domain.
This CV guide aims to help you focus on the most critical areas of your CV. By considering these pointers, future employers will have a clearer understanding of whether you have the right skills and experience to be considered for their roles. Once you have completed your CV rewrite, please send to us via this link. On receipt of this, we will discuss any tweaks necessary and begin looking at which opportunities could be relevant to you in the future. (Check out our £200 referral scheme here if you have peers looking for a new role).
General Points:
- Never just add your current role to an old CV – Many candidates make the mistake of merely adding their current position to an old CV. While you may not be required to rewrite the whole document, check the previous content is relevant to the roles you are applying for now. Remember a future employer will focus on your last few positions to ascertain whether you have the key competencies required for the job.
- Ensure keywords are included in the CV and repeated – If you have a particular skill which you know will get you noticed, make sure it is mentioned 3 to 4 times within the text. Recruiters and employers are much more likely to match your CV when searching for key skills within their databases. Just look at it as if you are running your own search engine optimisation program for your CV!
- Keep it to two pages if possible – Clients and recruiters see thousands of CV’s a month. To grab their attention, it needs to be succinct. Too much detail means you risk diluting the key points. Play with formats, margins and font sizes to try and achieve this.
- Consider having a few versions of your CV – If you’re open to new areas, trying to obtain a management role, a pure business development position, or trying to return to a past vocation; emphasise the key career achievements for each situation.
- Spelling & Grammar – Simple one, but employers do not have much patience for people who cannot be bothered to spell check and proofread an important document.
- Formatting – Ensure your CV is in a uniform style. Use the same typeface and font sizes adjusted for headings etc. but keep to the same formula throughout the document. For example, for each previous role where you mention the: company name, dates worked, job title and role overview make sure they are in the same order on every entry.
- Use a word format – If possible stick to Word format, you may wish to use a PDF to apply for multiple roles as these documents are less likely to be manipulated by others. Once you have built a relationship with the recruiter, send the Word document directly to them as they will remove personal details before sending it to their clients etc.
Recommended Order of a CV:
1.0 Personal Details
2.0 Profile
3.0 Experience
4.0 Part-Time Experience (if relevant)
5.0 Educational Achievements
6.0 Courses & Additional Skills
7.0 Hobbies & Interests
Content Pointers:
1.0 Personal Details
Include: -name, full address, email address and mobile number (including the best time to contact you)
2.0 Profile
A paragraph detailing your experience to date, plus a paragraph containing information on the type of role you are looking for now. (Make sure you tailor it for each application if you are looking at various options).
3.0 Experience
The essential part of any CV. Use bullet points to detail your day-to-day responsibilities; this creates effortless reading and a chance to highlight powerful information. This part of the CV is essential to grab the reader’s attention, include the information below this will allow you to stand out in a competitive market.
Include the following:
- Revenue generated/ budget responsibility per annum/monthly.
- Typical deal sizes.
- Solutions sold/marketed.
- Market sectors you have been involved within.
- Any key performance indicators you work to.
- Name any large clients that you have dealt with.
- Key achievements within the role.
- Typical level /job role of the people you sell to.
4.0 Part-Time Experience
Probably the best area to edit and cut back on content. For example, you may have previously included all the part-time jobs you held while studying at university. If you leave them in your CV and are not clear about dates, it may come across that you are a job hopper. Also, be clear these were part-time roles while studying. Check and think are these roles relevant to your current employment path. Keep them in but with short bullet points, if they are not related it may be worth just including them as one-line entries or removing them to keep your CV short in length.
5.0 Educational Achievements
Ensure you have included your grades, years attended, establishment and any work placements completed.
6.0 Courses & Additional Skills
Highlight any training courses you have attended over your career plus any further skills which might be of interest to a future employer.
7.0 Hobbies & Interests
A short paragraph highlighting: your interests, have you raised any money for charity, visited any amazing places or completed a sporting achievement? This information will provide a great ice breaker in an interview, as it may give you some common ground with your interviewer.
Next Action:
Use this link to submit it to Media Steps directly; we will be in contact to see if we can help you achieve your career aims. If you would like any further help or general career advice, please feel free to call us on 0207 096 0707.
Further Information:
Why not join our £200 referral scheme? Do you know any colleagues or friends looking for new opportunities in the event/media space?
Request our Candidate Charter to see how we work with candidates: helpme@mediasteps.co.uk
