Let’s call it what it is. A Curriculum Vitae (a.k.a. Resume) is a sales tool. It’s one of the few ways—arguably the most important one—to sell your skillset, explain your role fit, and promote your candidacy to a prospective employer. It should, therefore, be given the thought and diligence it deserves, whether you are a fresh college graduate looking to land your first job or a seasoned senior executive aiming to move to a new role or company.
COMMON CV MISPERCEPTIONS
Here are some of the most common misperceptions and myths I hear frequently when talking to people looking for new career opportunities:
"I am a senior executive well-known in the industry. My accomplishments speak for themselves; I don’t need a CV."
"I should create a generic 'one size fits all' document, as I’ll be applying to multiple roles. The broader it is, the more roles it will appeal to."
"I should include everything I have ever done."
"CVs should not be longer than one page."
"Fancy formatting is a must but don’t use color."
"Everyone lies on their CV, so I must too to land a job."
As a hiring manager and interviewer, I’ve reviewed countless CVs. I’ve also coached many people on preparing and updating their CVs to increase their chances of being selected for interviews. Here are my findings and tips:
YOUR CV AT A HIGH LEVEL
Take the time to prepare a solid CV. You are likely accomplished, and your achievements probably speak for themselves, but they will not express your interest in a role or promote your candidacy. You still need to self-represent and present your case with a solid CV.
Tell the truth. I recently came across a statistic that over 55% of Americans admit to lying on their resumes at least once, and more than four-fifths of Irish people feel they need to lie on their CVs to land a job. Fascinating, isn’t it? My advice is not to do it—not only because brutal honesty is one of my values and I would feel guilty every time I might lie, but also because it’s hard to keep track of lies, and it’s very easy to verify claims these days. Employers might not catch it during the hiring process, but when it comes to delivering on what you claimed to have experience in or proficiency at, you will be exposed, and it won’t be pretty. While you should be intentional about what to include in your CV and how to best sell, present, and promote yourself (more on this later in the article), blatant lies are neither advised nor necessary.
Tell a story. Your CV should have a harmonious flow and a clear storyline. It should tell your career story—whether it’s a steady climb up the ladder or lateral moves to build a strong foundation (e.g., from sales to marketing to business development), or perhaps the different skill sets you developed through various roles (e.g., project management, people management, solutions architect). There should be an overarching story flow that makes everything fit together.
THE CV LANGUAGE AND FORMAT
Make your CV a quick read. It’s important that it’s easy for your audience to read and skim—otherwise, they won’t read it. People are short on time, and they read lots of CVs. Use bullet points and keep it punchy.
Keep your CV to a reasonable length. Two pages is a good rule of thumb, especially for those with prior work experience. Three pages are not taboo, and one page may be adequate if you are a recent graduate or a junior executive.
Be relevant. While you might have a “master” version of your CV, tweak and adjust it to the role and company you’re applying to. If they are looking for strong people managers, emphasize your people management experience in the executive summary. If the job calls for strong business acumen and product knowledge, highlight examples from your career that demonstrate that. It’s also worth noting that using words from the job description helps. Often, the first eyes on your CV aren’t those of the people you’ll work with/for and who understand the role in depth. While this shouldn’t be used as a superficial manipulation tactic, referring to your skill set as “account management” or “product specialism” (as opposed to client relationship ownership or domain expertise) will catch the attention of the first round of screening, whether automated or human.
Maintain consistent language and formatting. This seems obvious, but I still come across CVs that don’t follow this rule. If you start with a verb (e.g., “Pioneered the X program that yielded Y revenue”), keep that format consistent throughout (e.g., avoid using the subject, as in “I was responsible for...” on the next bullet point).
Use strong verbs. Be crisp and succinct—this isn’t the time or place to be humble. Instead of “Tried to work closely with coworkers to achieve the revenue targets,” say, “Collaborated with coworkers to consistently (over)achieve X% of team sales targets.” Include where you led, coached, pioneered, spearheaded, managed, facilitated, directed, executed, etc. instead of where you tried, attempted, experimented, or failed.
Be as specific as possible. Use data and metrics, and focus on your impact and value. It’s amazing how many people claim strong communication skills, a growth mindset, and the ability to thrive in ambiguity these days. You can skip that blurb and instead include specifics like “Managed seven account managers,” “Owned a portfolio of $4B,” “Grew sales from X to Y,” “Partnered with XYZ to organize X events attended by Y people with a CSAT score of Z%.”
Be mindful of the format you’re using. Don’t use small fonts to fit more text; don’t make it cluttered or overwhelming. Use bullet points, bold text, italics, color, and spacing if appropriate to distinguish sections and make your CV esthetically pleasing. But don’t overdo it—too much color can be distracting. If you do decide to go bold (think Google’s colorful logo, despite the advice to stick with one or two colors), make it intentional. Own it.
Consider unique formats and differentiating ideas. Think of Elle Woods’ iconic Harvard application video in Legally Blonde. It was out there, but it challenged the status quo, made her stand out, and demonstrated courage and uniqueness. Many people are bored with the standard format, so a tasteful twist can make you memorable.
Use a well-known digital format (e.g., Word) and PDF your resume if possible so it displays as intended.
Proofread and edit mercilessly. Typos, misspellings, awkward spacing, and language errors do get noticed and are seen as signs of unprofessionalism and lack of attention to detail.
CONTENT AND SECTIONS OF THE CV
Include an intro or summary. While opinions vary, I believe an intro or executive summary highlighting your skillset and role fit is helpful. Treat it as a TL;DR. Avoid generic language like “I thrive in ambiguity” and instead answer, “Why should I hire you?”
Use reverse chronological order and elaborate more on your recent roles than your earlier ones. For instance, we don’t need details of what you did during an internship ten years ago (though it’s nice to see you interned at The New York Times), but it’s useful to know you currently manage a team of 100 and oversee $X billion in revenue.
List your education after your professional experience. Depending on your seniority, include just the essentials (e.g., university name, location, majors studied) or, if you’re more junior, mention specific courses or leadership roles (e.g., President of the Model United Nations Club).
Mention hobbies and extracurriculars briefly at the end. A tasteful mention shows that you’re well-rounded and can be a point of connection (e.g., if the recruiter also loves basketball).
Align your CV with the company’s values and role. For more conservative companies, an unconventional CV might not be the right approach. For companies that value creativity, it could be a great fit.
Include reference links to relevant work. If you spoke at a conference, link to the video. Also, include your LinkedIn profile—some recruiters prefer it as it’s familiar and includes projects, recommendations, etc.
Explain where necessary. For lesser-known firms or industries, add a sentence on the company’s focus, size, or market. For a Microsoft Azure Cloud specialist applying to AWS, this is likely unnecessary.
A FINAL WORD ON COVER LETTERS
Cover letters were once essential but are now often seen as a formality. If you include one, make it worth the reader’s time. Avoid the generic (“I thrive in ambiguity”) and instead explain why they should hire you, perhaps with a personal story. Explain something that is not covered in your CV - e.g. why you took a career break, why you left a role after a short period of time, why they should hire you. Similar to the CV, be punchy, succinct, and consider bullet points where appropriate.
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