CV Format and CV Writing Formats. CV Headings and Free CV layouts.

CV Writing Formats: CV Format relates to resume design, CV layout, CV Sections and CV Headings. Useful guide.

Customising CV Elements

CV format refers the to overall layout, design and presentation of a CV. A good CV format often creates a favourable impression to it is important to spend some time and attention on getting everything right. As experienced professional resume writers, we often see poor CV formats and poor CV layouts. This often shows a lack of professionalism. The CV layout, CV design and CV presentation is largely governed by deciding on which CV sections likely to be included.

A first stage for getting the CV format correct would be to decide on the CV content and what needs to be included. Once this information has been collated, it is worthwhile grouping together similar elements and activities relating to personal details, work experience, skills, training, achievements and interests, etc. The next stage would be to define CV headings and to personalise them according to what an employer would want and aligned to the message to put across in the CV. Personalised headings can be used to subtly guide recruiters to where the
most relevant information is contained within the CV.

The final stage is to structure the information contained under each CV heading or CV section into a logical order. Normally, personal details are at the top, followed by a personal profile, some achievements, work experience, skills, training and interests. The logical thought process is to tell the recruiter what you have done (top level experience, motivations and objectives in a personal profile), what you are good at (skills and achievements) and evidence of suitability through work experience and training. Winning CV gives a broad outline of each CV section / CV heading as well as an overview of what to include under each group. Whilst not giving away too many of our secrets, there must be a logical flow and recurring theme throughout the CV to reinforce candidate suitability and ensure each CV carefully targets job roles and career objectives.

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CV FORMATS: CV Personal Details

Candidates need to clearly show personal details and be selective about what to include. Often too many details or too few are included. Make sure these details are accurate and up-to-date. Put simply, if contact details are incorrect, then how is an employer going to contact you for interview!

It is important to be selective about what to include. There are the important elements like name, address and contact telephone number. Things like job mobility (i.e. where a candidate prefers to work) are useful and can be included. Candidates can use their discretion about what to include, but candidates can choose to omit age, gender, marital status and disability because employers cannot discriminate on these factors.

CV Personal Profile  |  CV Profiles

A good CV personal profile will summarise key elements and introduce the candidate to the recruiter. The idea is to give an overview of career motivations, experience, specialisation (core skills), career objectives and any unique selling properties (USPs).

This aims to tell the recruiter (at the top level) what you have done and what you are good at.
A good CV profile will also show how candidates made a difference and can add value to organisations. The CV profile must be well-written, carefully targeted, have impact and create a
good initial impression. Recruiters must be gently persuaded to read on.

CV Achievements

If a candidate has a strong track record and has excelled in certain areas, it maybe useful to include a separate section on achievements. Achievements are only credible if they are supported by evidence, quantifiable (measureable success - sales growth, targets, productivity, key accounts, cost reductions, etc) and can demonstrate wider impacts on the business (adding value). Many candidates confuse achievements with job responsibilities, so it is important to demonstrate a wider impact on the business or an additional contribution made.

CV Employment History  |  Employment Profile

The idea of the work experience section is not only to highlight what has been done in a work context, but it is important to convey evidence of suitability. Evidence of past performance, responsibilities and skills can be a good likely indicator of future work performance.

There are three main elements to showing work experience effectively on a CV. Firstly, there is getting specific details correct by highlighting the job title, employer (include location) and dates
of employment. A brief description of business activities and standing as an employer maybe
useful to place any experience into context.

Secondly, day-to-day duties and responsibilies must be included. It is important to group together similar activities, skills and experiences to provide evidence of work history and what you have done. Show where skills have been applied effectively and any additional responsibilities gained.

Finally, work experience needs to convey achievements (impacts and adding value), track record and evidence of personal growth such as career progression, special projects and management experience. Some elements of training can be included in work experience, especially if not enough formal training has been done to include in a separate section. The idea is to be interesting, relevant and convincing, rather than just reeling of a simple job description.

CV Education Background

Education is important because it shows clear evidence of structured learning and potential to train candidates. Someone with a long employment history will not need to profile academic learning and achievements in detail. Recent graduates will include more academic history to demonstrate an ability to learn and to find a balance to offset a lack of work experience.

CVs - Training and Development

Employers look for evidence of training and potential. This shows where previous employers have invested time and effort to train a candidate. Secondly, training enhances an individuals skills set, as those with better training are more likely to develop and fulfil their long term potential.

Personal development is also an important indicator of likely success. Those individuals who have taken control of their own destiny by developing careers in a structured way will tend to come across as being more credible in a CV. These candidates tend to be more focused, goal-orientated and have clear motivations for entering a particular career area or specialisation. Personal development can be allied to training, professional study and professional membership to bodies. 

CV Skills Profile  |  Personal Qualities

This is an area often completely missed or under-valued by candidates in a CV. Candidates need to tell recruiters what they are good at. One way to do this is to identify core skills and personal qualities to go into a CV. Part of telling recruiters what you are good at is also a useful way of customising a CV to target specific job roles or job advertisements. It is also important to 'pitch' any skills to the right audience. For instance, there is no point claiming to be an expert in any given area when there is no experience or evidence to back this up. This lacks credibility. 

CV Sections: Activities and Interests

Activities and interests can be included if there is sufficient room on a CV. They can be omitted from a CV if necessary. Chances are candidates will be asked about out of work activities and interests. It can be an 'ice-breaker' and an easy question to answer at job interview, so it is important to be aware of any activities candidates take part in.

Try to include activities and interests with possible relevance to the job role or something unique to talk about at interview. For instance, computing and internet demonstrates PC awareness and PC literacy skills. Show a good use of your valuable personal time and where additional contributions have been made (i.e. being on a committee for a social group). Avoid mentioning socialising, as this is not a very productive use of spare time!