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Never underestimate the value of a good CV

Friday 9th October 2009

By Mike Jones

The importance of CVs should never be underestimated.

A good CV should be like a meticulously planned sales document, provoking interest and response, according to advice from career management and outplacement consultancy PCS Executive.

The first thing to understand about the job market is that it is a market. Within it there are buyers and sellers, and the laws of supply and demand are as valid here as anywhere else. Being good at your job is not enough - so are many other people. To an extent, therefore, success depends on your ability to sell yourself, and the first stage in this process is your CV.

The first question an employer will ask when reading a CV is "Can this person fill my need?" You need to ensure that the experience relevant to the role is outlined at the very top of the CV.

Keith Church, Regional Director of PCS Executive, said: "Never apply for a role with a generic CV, make sure that you tailor it for each and every position, without exception."

The personal statement is a crucial part of the CV and provides an excellent opportunity for a candidate to give an overview of their skill-set and career goals.

More importantly they can ensure that their goals and experience are relevant to the position applied for.

Church said: "So many candidates put their personal statement at the back of their CV or fail to utilise it to their advantage at all. The nature of CVs has changed over the years and filling a personal statement with unquantifiable skills and stock phrases really won’t do any you any favours."

The body of a CV can be adjusted to your individual job search campaign. You may need a chronological style CV, that is, you have worked for impressive companies and your recent experience will stand you in good stead for your next position.
Alternatively a functional style CV may suit your campaign best, which will display your work experience and skills at the top of the body of your CV. This is particularly useful for someone who wants to change career direction or industry. PCS Executive advise that you have several versions of your CV so you can choose the most appropriate to edit for each position.

Church said: "Anyone serious about changing careers in this current climate should ensure that they devote the necessary time and effort into making sure they have the correct marketing plan in place and with this the appropriate supporting documents."

Have your say on this story using the comment section below

View Comments 3 comments

Posted By Duncan Elliott on Friday 9th October 2009 12:48:25
Excellent article Mike. "A good CV should be like a meticulously planned sales document.." - absolutely. It's staggering how many people - people who work in Recruitment I mean - cannot seem to make the mental leap between doing a decent CV and getting a decent job! wave-recruitment.blogspot.com/

Posted By Aidan Breslin on Friday 9th October 2009 01:51:12
Great post & good point. I work in recruitment & our MD is always hammering home the importance of the "Profile" (like the personal statement), and tailoring it for each candidate to match the job

Posted By Rory, Flow Caritas on Friday 9th October 2009 01:01:09
Good advice there. Im seeing a lot of generic CV's being sent out on mass and candidates getting really poor CV advice that they are having to pay for.

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