How to write a stand-out CV: 8 top tips

Something we’re often asked by job hunters is: ‘What’s the best way to stand out from the crowd?” It’s a good question. How can you get yourself noticed among all the other applicants?

Send cupcakes to the company’s HR department? Create a pleading TikTok video in the hope it goes viral? Even advertising your prowess on a billboard isn’t guaranteed to muster any calls. In over 45 years in recruitment, we’ve seen some interesting applications, but the best has always been the simplest: a really good CV.

Why spend time on your CV?

Even in this age of LinkedIn profiles, online portfolios and gamified application processes, most employers want to see a CV to help them decide who to interview. Your CV is often the first touchpoint with a recruiter or hiring manager and is your opportunity to make a stellar first impression, if done well – and done well it must be, especially if the employer doesn’t have much time to read through each one in detail. Think of it as your written sales pitch, where creating something precise, relevant and snappy could grab their attention.

What, then, should you include on your CV? We put our heads together and came up with a list of our preferences, so here are our top tips on writing a CV that’ll get you noticed.

Eight tips for writing a CV that stands out

1) Start with a consistent template

One of the biggest barriers to writing a CV is the look of the document. There are plenty of CV templates available online for you to use – we especially like those on Canva (a free and easy-to-use design site) which can be completely edited as appropriate. Or ask a friend if you can borrow their template. This should provide a good starting point, with clear section headings, a professional font used throughout and consistent formatting. Simple is best; it’s the content that should stand out, not the design.

2) Tailor your CV to the role

One of our biggest bugbears is a CV that isn’t relevant for the role, as it doesn’t showcase the candidate’s skills and could see them miss out on an interview. We suggest always tailoring  your CV to the job you’re applying for: emphasise any skills, knowledge, experience and qualifications that the job ad refers to, so that hiring managers can see easily why you’d be a match. This is especially important in cases where AI technology is used to scan and identify CVs which meet requirements.

3) Keep it short and focused

Back in the dark ages, when Parity’s Big Bosses created their first CVs, the rule was keep your CV to two pages max in length. That rule hasn’t changed. It’s a rule that also helps to focus the content. Firstly, start with a brief profile about you – an introduction of a few lines which mentions your professional and soft skills. You might like to use bullet points to highlight recent achievements or anything else you want the reader to notice immediately. When it comes to work experience, we recommend going back about ten years, to remove anything that is no longer appropriate for the application, i.e. your part-time Saturday job in Tesco. 

4) Show how you made a difference

Instead of listing an endless stream of unconnected role responsibilities under the work experience section, write a short summary about the job and add examples of how you delivered or contributed to team success. For example, rather than ‘leading projects’, write: ‘Led the IT transformation project which met the Board’s strategic objectives and was completed a month early, at 17% under budget’. This provides at-a-glance evidence of where you made a positive difference.

5) Explain any employment gaps

Any gap over three months in your work history is likely to be questioned, so it’s useful to explain what you were up to. Include the dates of your travels, parental leave or the fact that you were relentlessly job hunting – it can all add a bit of personality to your CV, whilst avoiding the delays associated with seeking clarification. If there’s anything you’re not sure how (or if) to phrase, then get in touch with us and we’ll happily help.

6) Inject some personality

While on the subject of personality, it’s always nice to add some information about what you do outside of work, to give recruiters a glimpse of who you are and to make your CV easier to recall (“Oh yes, that’s the software engineer who does the fun runs for charity…”). Team fit is so important, it’s crucial to get across your interests, studies, hidden talents, etc. so share them.  ‘Regularly bakes cakes for the team’ is hardly going to do any harm to your application!

7) Yawn! It’s grammar and spelling

Yes, everyone says it and everyone knows it, but that doesn’t stop some people from submitting a CV that is so littered with errors, it’s a typographical landfill site. Always pay attention to your spelling and grammar. Check and check again, then ask someone else to read it over. When Word and Google Docs automatically highlight mistakes, there’s little excuse for errors, so it comes across as sloppy and disinterested – and won’t impress the recruiting team.

8) Link up

If you have one, it’s useful to include your LinkedIn profile within your contact section, providing it’s up to date and offers details which aren’t on your CV that would enhance your application, such as recommendations. If you have a portfolio, you could link to this too. Saving your CV in a pdf format will preserve the links, enabling recruiters to find additional information at the touch of a button.

We know writing / updating your CV is stressful, but it’s worth putting the time and effort into creating a document of the best possible quality – it really does influence your chances of getting an interview. The tips above should make it a bit easier, but if not, then we’re here to help. Just give us a call or send us an email, and you could have a stand-out CV in no time. Not to mention a new job…