How many times have you heard or said this yourself? At least once, right?

It’s understandable, as many people only visit their CV when it’s time to start a job search, while others update it every few months. Either way, it is no surprise that it can feel like a daunting task or even an awkward one. Self promotion is a struggle for some people. Or perhaps you've left it so long that your CV has grown exponentially and looks like a short story. Maybe it just doesn't feel relevant any more. So what do you do?

Sometimes it’s better to start from scratch 

When the time comes, you may benefit from working on a blank document and applying a fresh structure. Create your structure using headings with space below for the related content. Then work backwards, in chronological order, starting with your most recent role. If you have key skills from former roles you might want to add a separate section calling out highlights relevant to the vacancy you are considering. If you are starting over, have your old CV to hand as a reference point. You should always look at how you can condense roles from earlier in your career while still highlighting relevant skills.

So how long should my CV be?

There is no right or wrong answer to this, only opinion. If you are newly entering into the workforce then your CV is going to be short, perhaps just a single A4 side. That’s completely acceptable as long as it is relevant and highlights the skills and achievements sought in the job vacancy. But what if you've been employed for 15 years or more? Well one page is going to be a hard task unless you just list companies, dates and roles, but what would be the benefit of that? It’s not going to tell any prospective employer why they should hire you. Conversely, a page for every year worked is going to find your application moving to one place, the rejection pile. So apply the rule of relevance, your first job, while interesting, is unlikely to have much relevance to what you do today.

Your employment history should focus on your current role and roles within a seven to 10 year time span. Past that, apply the rule of edit and remove, it is perfectly acceptable to list older positions without elaborating on day to day tasks. So what is the perfect size?Again it is about what works for you, but a CV that can be contained within two separate sheets of paper makes it a lot easier in an interview scenario and is also more likely to be read from beginning to end.

What about various positions in the same company?

This is the perfect opportunity to showcase personal growth, loyalty and performance. It is unlikely that you would have been promoted or given more responsibilities if you were an under performer, so why would you not call this out? Apply the same rule of positions within the same company working back in chronological order breaking down time in each role, responsibilities and any highlights from each one.

Struggling to elaborate on your experience?

First of all, you want it to be easy to read so avoid lengthy paragraphs, you may want to consider two lines explaining what the company does and then elaborate on your experience. Bullet points are your friend and make it easy for a hiring manager with several hundred applications to see your relevant skills. But what about the content? Well it is a good idea to separately list out your day to day responsibilities followed by a separate list of any additional projects or programmes. You’ll be surprised by how much you actually do. Think about systems you work with, departments or teams you interact with, reports you may be responsible for, or input into, and this will help you to create your long-list. Now edit. You want to establish what is relevant to the job vacancy and start with listing these first on your CV, whilst omitting irrelevant items.

It is always a work in progress

A CV is ever evolving and it is unlikely that a CV you write today will be the CV that gets you hired in two years. For those so inclined it is a great idea to revisit your CV every six months and don’t be afraid to edit. You may be working on new projects or with newer technologies, so feel comfortable to add these to your CV whilst removing items that become less relevant. Finally, assess. Are you hearing from recruiters or hiring managers or are you receiving rejections before even speaking to someone? If it’s the latter then it’s time to edit that CV, invest your time in it, it’s your shop window and the first step to a hiring manager buying what you have to offer.

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CygnusB has over two decades of experience providing specialist consulting and strategic counsel in brand, communication and executive talent management and coaching.