An Interims Guide to Writing the Perfect CV

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As the saying goes you should never judge a book by its cover, but unfortunately this is just human nature!  The first page of your CV is normally when a decision has been made by the Hiring Manager or Recruiter.  This fast reaction emphasises the importance of writing the the perfect CV to ensure you are identified and progressed for the roles that suit your wants, needs and skillset best.

As an Interim you will be familiar with the task of having to regularly update your CV however this isn’t to say you won’t have picked up some bad habits along the way.  Therefore, it is always a good idea to refresh your CV, not just with updated information, but to make sure it represents you and your most recent work experience as best as possible, these are the roles that the Hiring Manager or Recruiter looking at your CV will be interested in most.

10 tips to perfecting your interim CV

Value Match have compiled a list of our top 10 key tips on how you can improve your CV:

  1. Keep it Short – we appreciate that for interims, your employment history is much more extensive, but try keep it to the point, with more detail focused on the last 5 years and providing just your key achievements for roles completed outside of this.
  2. Be Precise – avoid generic phrases, where there is no evidence to back them up. If you managed a team, how many people reported to you? This type of information is useful for the decision makers.  Avoid overusing words – mix things up!
  3. Formatting – make sure your CV is consistent with the font style and size, the layout matches and use spell check! Look at your CV and think if you were the Hiring Manager what would your view be? Mismatch in fonts, format and spelling show a lack of care for your CV – your CV is your way of selling yourself to the client before any potential interview.
  4. Role Information – for each role you mention on your CV you should always include your job title (advise also if it was interim or not), who your client/employer was and your start date and end date (including the month and year for each).
  5. Preferred Role Location/s – If you are happy to relocate/travel for a contract, write this on your CV rather – some job sites will ask you for this information but not all will see this and by including on your CV this will ensure that recruiters will approach you regarding more opportunities.
  6. Security Clearance/s – if you are SC, CTC, DV cleared etc. highlight this on your CV there is a growing need for candidates with certain levels of security clearances so ensure to highlight this on your CV so that it stands out to recruiters.
  7. Key Achievements – highlighting what you feel are your key achievements this will give your CV more character.  If you’ve saved your client £millions, then don’t drown this out elsewhere.  Include a summary of your key achievements and make it easy for the Hiring Manager to see what else you’ve achieved.
  8. Back up your Achievements with Statistics – in terms of procurement it is best to give exact examples of the value of the contracts you have worked on and awarded including how much money you saved your client/employer.
  9. Qualifications/Training– if you are a member of a professional body i.e. CIPS, passed an exam or completed training that is relevant to your profession cover this on your CV.  If this is a requirement the client is looking for but isn’t something covered on your CV, then who this will be missed as it will be left unknown?
  10. System Knowledge – give examples of what eSourcing tools have you used. Knowledge of systems such as Bravo, Ariba, Oracle etc. should stand out on your CV.  Not all clients use the same system so if a candidate has experience in the systems they use it is more beneficial.