CV Best Practices
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The document provides best practices for creating an effective curriculum vitae (CV). It recommends including contact information, education history with degrees/certifications, and chronological employment history with duties and accomplishments. Employers typically spend 10-30 seconds reviewing each CV, so it is important to have good formatting, avoid "red flags" like incomplete education or job gaps, and highlight relevant skills and experience. The goal of a CV is to introduce yourself and elicit an interview, so it should provide enough detail about background and achievements to stand out from other candidates.
CV Best Practices
- 1. CV Best Practices Alex Benjamin Senior Clinical Recruiter OnPoint Consulting abenjamin@opsvs.com www.opsvs.com
- 2. About Me • As a LinkedIn Open Networker (LION) I accept all invitations to connect so please don’t hesitate to send an invite.
- 3. What you will learn in this presentation • The goal of a CV • What employers look for when reviewing resumes • ‘Must have’ content • Formatting • General best practices
- 4. Goals • In short, the purpose of the CV is to make an introduction to elicit an interview. It is a salesman’s sample with the product being YOU! • There needs to be enough information detailing your background and accomplishments so that you are noticed as standing out above the rest. • You don’t want to leave any potential questions unanswered or any potential “red flags” (which we will cover later in this presentation).
- 5. CV vs Resume • A CV (curriculum vitae) is a detailed summary of your education, employment history, accomplishments, skills, publications, and any other information that is relevant to your professional field. • A Resume is summary of your CV, generally scaled down and much shorter. • For most professions, use a CV.
- 6. What Employers Look For • Employers, either hiring managers or recruiters, are generally very busy. They are looking for talent, but also spend most of their time fulfilling their current openings. • Most employers will spend 10-30 seconds when first reviewing a resume (could be less if the candidate is extremely unqualified). • Presentation is key. Someone who dots their “I”s and crosses their “T”s when representing themselves on their CV will most likely be more detail oriented when hired.
- 7. Red Flags • Throughout this presentation you will see the use of Red Flags. • A Red Flag is any information (either on a CV or missing from a CV) that will cause a potential employer to lose interest and move on to other candidates. • The goal is to eliminate all red flags on your CV as you never want to leave an excuse for an employer to move on to other candidates.
- 8. Getting Started • While it is often easiest to start where you left off on your previous CV, taking the time to refocus on past accomplishments and rework the wording of your CV is a great investment of time if you find your CV is not producing desired results. • Keep ONE main CV: • Employers keep CVs on file for at least 1 year, sometimes indefinitely. • Seeing multiple CVs with completely different content can raise a Red Flag.
- 9. Getting Started • Make sure your full contact information is present • Name- Full Legal Name • Address- Not providing an address is a big Red Flag • Employers don’t like surprises. • Employers are usually looking for local candidates and will sometime check distance (even an hour or two commute can still be acceptable). • If they are open to relocation, they still like to know that you are not local. • Phone • Email • LinkedIn (optional)
- 10. Education • Should have its own section or at least be separated from other information. • College or University Name, Field of Study, Degree, and date of completion should be present. • Make sure to add any and all industry specific certifications.
- 11. Degree in Progress or No Degree • If you are currently enrolled • If you are currently enrolled in a degree program, a good rule of thumb is to use: “(currently attending)” or “(currently enrolled)”. • Refrain from using “anticipated completion” dates as employers generally see that date pushed back over and over again and it creates a Red Flag. • If you have not completed your degree • Be upfront by either not adding it on your CV or using your high school graduation. • Do not attempt to make it look like your degree is complete, this is a huge Red Flag. • If you have completed some college it is okay to mention that on your CV, but make sure that it is clear that you did not finish. You do not want to accept a job offer only to have the offer rescinded during a background check!
- 12. Employment History • Chronological order is generally the best (starting with your current position and working your way back). • Include: Title, Employer, Dates of Employment, and location for each of your positions. • If you are a remote employee, use the location of the office that you report to or your home address along with a note that you are a remote employee.
- 13. Employment History: Content • For each of your positions, you want to include your duties and your accomplishments. • Do not copy and paste your company job description • It is okay to use the description as a template, but you want to add the job duties that you are actually responsible for. • Nothing looks worse than seeing the word “may” in your job duties (another Red Flag). • Adding your accomplishments can make you stick out from the crowd. • If you have multiple positions with similar descriptions, try to find some of the differences and accomplishments to diminish repetitiveness.
- 14. Employment History: Content • Be clear and concise, but make sure all relevant information is included. • You do not want to omit certain tasks that potential employers are going to want to see. • A CV is allowed to be long (within reason) • Remember, this is a detailed outlook of your background. • Employers can skim through information that they might not want to read, but they might come back and take a closer look the second time around. • There is a point where a CV can get too long, sometimes a separate addendum is appropriate, but don’t rely on the employer to read it with a fine tooth comb.
- 15. Addressing Short Term and Contract Positions • It is generally a good idea to classify your contract positions with “(contract)” at the end of the job title. • Employers like to see job stability when hiring for permanent positions and working on a short term contract looks better than only being in a perm position for 3-6 months. • If you are applying to a company that you have worked for in the past for a short duration, be upfront and have it on your CV, they will have a record of your employment on file. • If you choose not to include a past employer on your CV, make sure to be consistent on any job applications/background checks (any discrepancies are obvious Red Flags).
- 16. Formatting • You want to make your CV as easy to read as possible with a natural progression • Proper and consistent spacing helps create flow • Map out your CV • Contact Information • Education • Employment History • Certifications (if applicable) • Technical/Computer Skills • Publications • References (generally “Available on Request”)
- 17. Feel free to use Bold, Italicize, and Underline to create separation Example 1 Title Company Location Dates of Employment Job Description: (insert description here) Example 2 Title, Company, Location Dates of Employment Job Description: (insert description here)
- 18. Saving your CV • You want to save your CV in a format easily read by the majority of audiences. • The two main choices would be Microsoft Word (either 2003 or newer) or PDF • Some companies prefer a .doc and some prefer a .pdf. • With most applicant tracking systems, Word tends to be the better choice due to the ability to auto-populate information. • With most agencies, Word is preferred due to required formatting from the end client (generally adding their company logo and contact info to set up interviews). • DO NOT: Use a scanned CV or save as a .txt!!
- 19. Finishing Touches • Always Spellcheck and Grammar check! • This is especially true if saving as a PDF. • Print a copy and review with a fresh set of eyes. • Get a third party (or two) to review. • When printing to bring to an interview, make sure to use high quality Resume Paper and bring enough copies for each interviewer along with one for yourself • Having a few extra copies for unexpected additions to the interview agenda is also a good idea.
- 20. About OnPoint Consulting • OnPoint Consulting is a thriving clinical research staffing company providing contract, direct hire and temp-to-hire services to the Biopharmaceutical, CRO and Medical Device industries. Our diverse team of highly experienced, knowledgeable, dedicated and efficient professionals strive to deliver a competitive edge in today’s market. • www.opsvs.com • ONPOINT CONSULTING, LLC • Address:6711 Lee Highway Suite 207 Arlington, VA 22205 • Phone:800.240.9513 • Email:info@opsvs.com • Facebook:Follow US • Twitter:Follow US