Your CV, what to include?
8 October 2020
Tips on making your experience stand out
When writing a CV, we all know the core structure: contact details, work experience and education but what about additional information? Let’s take a look at some of the other categories.
Should a photo be included?
This may seem an odd question but your location will determine what the answer is. It is commonplace in Continental Europe to include a passport style photo at the top of your CV whereas in the USA and the UK it is not generally recommended unless it is a specific requirement. Why might you consider removing a photo? Let’s start with unconscious bias. Someone reading your CV could potentially apply a bias to the way they perceive you based on your photo. This could cover anything from race, gender, appearance, pose and so on. A number of recruiters will ask you to remove your photo from applications or if you’re unlucky it might not even get shortlisted.
Cover letters, are they necessary?
Well this depends, some job adverts may require a cover letter whilst others make no mention. If it is part of the application you must include a cover letter. What if you are not asked for a cover letter? Then it is down to your personal preference. A worthwhile question is are you adding any benefit to your application? If you have a strong CV which clearly demonstrates your ability to perform in the role that you are applying for then you should feel confident in leaving this additional page out. If you feel that you need to call out additional experience that relates to the role that would be beneficial then consider including one, or better still tailor your CV to reflect it there instead. One takeaway, if you have a generic cover letter that you never tailor, delete it now.
How about showcasing work?
If you work within the creative space this will be common practice for you, you may have showreels or portfolios. Whilst you may not want to provide a full portfolio of your work before an initial interview you may want to consider a snapshot on Behance or a link to your own website or LinkedIn profile. In fact, do include links to these on a CV as it brings your experience to life. Just keep in mind a link to a personal Instagram page with photos of your weekend antics should be kept separate to your personal employee brand.
Non-professional work?
Should you list memberships, charitable work and other appointments? It comes down to what they are and whether they might be of interest to a potential employer. Being a member of you residents’ association is unlikely to help you land a role, but being a voluntary member for a charity on weekends might absolutely demonstrate your values and commitment. So, keep it relevant.
Remember those CV templates?
As a student you probably completed one, and at the end you were asked to list your interests. Well unless you are applying to be a chef or looking for a career in catering its unlikely cooking or baking really need to be on your CV. That said, interests can be a great way of adding flavour, showcasing not just your work but who you are. If you decide to add this section then it’s worth taking the same approach of keeping it relevant. How can you make this information beneficial to your application?
References?
Finally references, please, please don’t include these on your CV. Think about it as though every time you decided to go to a bar you gave your partners phone number to a bartender, why would you do that? If someone is interested in making you a job offer they can request your references but they should have no need to have them beforehand. It is also worth noting that unscrupulous agency recruiters may contact these references in order to obtain work. Leave these as "Available on request."
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and look out for our tips on building your personal employee brand. Need more help? Contact us at info@cygnusb.com
CygnusB
has over two decades of experience providing specialist consulting and strategic counsel in brand, communication and executive talent management and coaching.
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