CV Tips for your Job Search

A few days ago, I shared on Twitter and LinkedIn that I was willing to offer people looking for their next role some feedback on their CV. The response was overwhelming!  As it’s going to be very difficult to individually respond to everyone who reached out to me on LinkedIn, I have decided instead to post a short article here covering my thoughts on what should go into a good CV. 

Having just finished a lengthy search for a new role myself, I know first-hand the stress and anxiety associated with the process. I’ve also been a hiring manager for approx. 20 years and have read thousands of CVs in my career. In just over 3 years at AWS earlier in my career, I interviewed over 500 candidates. This doesn’t make me the final authority on CV writing and you should seek multiple sources on this topic, however here are my suggestions on how to make your CV stand out in a crowded hiring arena. 

Keep it Simple!

- Be sure you include your name and contact details at the top of your CV

- Use one standard font throughout the entire document - I suggest Calibri. But remember, the content is way more important than the font. 

- write in a single column, with a normal font size 

- use clear active language throughout your CV. Check out this article for more details if you aren’t familiar with writing in an active voice. 

- Less is more - edit, edit again, then edit some more. Have friends, family read and re-read your CV to ensure everything flows well. Don’t rush it, and don’t slap it together at the last minute. 

- remember that as many computers may be reading your CV for keywords in 2020 as humans. Consider using an automated review service such as https://resumeworded.com/ to see how your CV is parsed by a resume scanning system. 

- triple check your CV for spelling and grammar mistakes. Some hiring managers will use such mistakes as evidence that you don’t pay close attention to detail, and will automatically discard your CV and move to the next one. 

Layout Suggestions

- Start with a short bullet- point profile of the 3-5 key points that define you as a candidate / potential employee 

- Next should come each position you've held, in reverse chronological order

- Further down, list your educational degrees. achievements, awards, certifications, etc. as appropriate

- if you have a portfolio, GitHub repo, work-related blog, articles, or conference videos, include these as well

- try to keep your CV length to max of 2-3 pages

- I like to end my CV with a brief 1-2 sentences about my personal interests outside of work

Accomplishments over Activity or Job Description

- for each role, list your most important outcomes and accomplishments 

- use the "Situation - Behaviour - Impact" framework to list your key accomplishments - here is the situation, these were my behaviours and actions in the situation, and here was the impact and outcome. 

Things to avoid?

- avoid temptation to make each role just a listing of your job description. Instead focus on sharing, as briefly and succinctly as possible, what you brought to the role and what you accomplished. What is your prospective employer likely to enjoy in terms of outcomes if they hire you?

- don't bother with mentioning references or 'references upon request' - assume that if you need to provide references, an employer will ask you during the hiring process

- skip the picture - you may inadvertently trigger someone's unconscious or conscious bias by including a photo - I suggest leaving photos out of your CV

- pass on colours - keep all your text black on white background and don't use coloured elements anywhere in your CV - remember, computers won't care and your probably need to get past a keyword parser before a human reads your CV in any case.

- avoid lists of coding languages, technologies etc. that you have worked with. Instead, mention these in specific context of roles, work projects and deliveries where you have used them.

- don't even think about embellishing your CV with things that are not true or half complete - i.e. a university degree. Assume if you're offered a role, someone is going to fact check your entire CV for any misrepresentation, and if any is found, the offer will be revoked. 

- avoid unexplained gaps on your CV - if you took a year off between roles, try to share a brief explanation why in the CV (where appropriate and not sharing overly personal info)

- try to avoid mention of age, marital status, religion, gender, sexual orientation,  number of children, or any other personal / private topics which could result in discrimination against you. (I’m aware that custom on these topics varies in different parts of the world - take this advice generically and adjust for your local custom) 

- avoid tables and columns - I recommend to keep your CV to a simple one column layout - remember, a computer should be able to read / keyword-search your CV as easily as a human

- If you use a PDF format (and that is my preference), export it from Google Docs or MS Word - avoid scanning a printed CV as PDF as the text is unlikely to be picked up by parsers / keyword scanners in that case

- Avoid WordArt and other overly formatted text. Don't use underline or italics if you can help it. Suggest that you limit yourself to modest use of bold text for headings.

- Avoid headers & footers

Next Steps

Of course, writing a good CV is just step one. The entire purpose of your CV is to be shortlisted and be invited to a face-to-face (or video) interview.

If you've made it this far in the article, and you’ve applied some or all of the above ideas to your CV, and would like some specific feedback on it, here’s how I can help. 

1. Follow me on twitter @shaunnorris
2. Direct-Message (DM) me for the details on how to share your CV with me for feedback

(Priority will be given to women and minorities looking for their next technology role.) 

Good luck in your job search!