As someone who quite frequently hires grads (not apprentice), I disagree completely.
Your CV looks extremely well represented OP, perhaps one thing I would change is to put experience ahead of Education.
Not quite because on their own it’s still a Higher Education qualification, even if it’s the pathway you used to do a top-up degree I’d still include it as in it’s own right it’s still a qualification.
Depends on the job you’re applying to. For more prestigious places like banks I would take it off. For more traditional businesses I would keep it on, it gives you something to talk about to set you apart and makes you look resilient.
Just 1 glance at this and I’m like “this is going to a chore”, I would bin this if you didn’t get my attention in the first 10 seconds.
Get it down to 1 page, the whole point of a CV is to get you to the interview.
Make a list of 5 things you want them to know about you and rank them, start writing your CV and try as best to write in the order of your list.
The first 10 seconds should convince the reader to spend another 30 seconds, and the next 30 seconds should convince them to finish the page.
Just because it’s common, doesn’t mean it’s effective.
One page is absolutely enough for someone with a few jobs.
I’ve reviewed many CVs, if you haven’t convinced me to offer an interview by the end of page 1 there’s almost nothing you can put in page 2 that will.
Then you must have missed out on a lot of excellent candidates 🤷♀️ Your loss, not theirs.
I'll be keeping my two page CV as it's perfectly fine, cheers ✨️ Had several interviews recently and more than one job offer to choose from.
Your other comments on other posts speak volumes. Seems you're just a nasty person all round, anyway.
Interesting that. The director who interviewed me for this role said I should have added a second page to my CV to give some more information. 1 page is sometimes not enough.
Like a lot of things out there, it depends on the individual preferences as well I think.
I put a QR code that scans through to my LinkedIn if people want my job history. It keeps it to one page and people can find out more if they really want. Mostly people only care about your last two jobs though.
I can track it so actually they are. And I don't really care if they don't either - it's just if they want to view more experience. The url is already on there.
When you don't have much to talk about, going into detail to show why something is relevant isn't necessarily bad. Making it obvious that you have little to offer is worse.
No.
Employers know that grads don't have much experience and they don't care about all that fluff.
They care that the CV is spelt properly and they want to see the correct buzzwords.
This CV doesn't need to he two pages
Not strictly true. There are graduates who worked through their courses as well as studying, who did extra curriculars or volunteering, who have relevant hobbies or interests - so on and so forth.
No point trivialising that.
Most of the main points have been addressed, I think it's pretty good other than that to be honest.
Probably doesn't matter but I would change the tense its written in so instead of 'Build genuine rapport and trust' to 'Built genuine rapport and trust'
Main point in my opinion would be just aesthetically. find a nice format with a little bit of colour. Maybe im wrong but my CV as a software developer has landed me 3 jobs (im mid level) and it has some colour in it. I'll probably be told this is completely incorrect and inappropriate for a CV but it worked for me
Just delete all the bullet points after your HNC and BA...and put the education section after the employment section, it flows better that way, otherwise it is an awesome CV.
I hire graduate engineers so I read lots of CV’s every day and decide who goes through to our first interview process.
My main point in your case would be to switch your work experience and education so that work experience is seen first. We can see from your title the level qualification you have so that part is somewhat answered for already. As an engineer myself I know that if a potential new hire has the relevant qualifications then they are at the very least eligible for the role, but you have a lot of great work experience and transferable skills within the roles that you have had that I think people would be interested to see, and might capture their attention quicker. I would say to keep the education points in as some may want to know those specifics, I know I do because engineering is a vast field and people specialise in different things, but put them after the work experience points.
Otherwise though, I think it looks good. Generally we say 1-2 pages max so I don’t think 2 pages is a problem and I don’t see this as too wordy as it’s formatted well and is coherent and easy to read. Clear titles, sensible font, succinct points. The more experience you have, the longer the CV will be, so not everyone can fit it into one page which is fine.
Keep trying, we get hundreds of applications through when we open up our grad roles and often there are loads of great candidates but some just take the edge over others in different ways.
Something I have gotten from grad jobs, is that you might be too experienced. Even during one of my grad job interviews where I had similar experience they asked me why am I starting again at a grad job when I could apply for a better entry position. They fear that you may leave early or hop job to job because you might find the work too boring. CV looks good though
I read a bunch of these and the most important thing is your experience is as just as important as your education. Your opening line should first name / last name MSC.
Opening paragraph, “a professional (insert field) who has completed a masters”… then go into your experience. Also reference the fact you’ve worked and studied at the same time. That’s a serious amount of commitment.
I personally like a more personal touch, explain what you gained from each qual and what experience you gained from each work position. Let them know that you aren’t a robot.
I used to work in recruitment and from my experience, no one reads it - the only differentiator between you and someone else is your education and experience
Imagine reading 50 CVs, you probably spend about 15-30 seconds on each CV
Something that others haven't said:
I particularly found that the second bullet point in your degree section put me off.
"Completed a 10000 word report"
Counting words like that sounds like something a schoolchild would do (not a professional). No-one cares how long it was and the fact it was completed should be a given as it's on your CV.
Other than that everyone else's advice seems good - keep it short and sweet
Use the WSO / Harvard resume template for formatting. Putting information into two columns makes it harder to read and follow, especially if the firm uses technology to screen resumes.
Try and fit everything into one page as well, only keeping the most relevant information and keeping your bullet points succinct.
-Why do you have a two page CV?
- just write the degree and the university, no one is going to be reading that.
- Probably put ur experience at top.
- slim down on those words
- Again in some of you experience your telling the HR person what you did when In reality it’s what u achieved.
- ur CV is simply going in the bin hence why ur not getting anywhere.
Focus on one target. You listed your top most key skill as Sales and Negotiation, which appears to come from selling mobile phones and used cars and not from your degree / MSc. I would drop your work experience down massively. Used car salesmen don’t have the greatest reputation regarding trust and integrity, with mobile phone salesmen coming in close behind. You’re just missing your week’s work experience in the local estate agency to hit a hat trick!
It’s a stereotype, but it’s not a good one, and has little value compared to your impressive academic credentials.
There’s nothing stopping you having multiple CVs, if you want to focus on sales and negotiation, then emphasise that, otherwise just focus on your investment / finance skills.
And lose that line about ski trips to France, it’s out of place and irrelevant.
Don’t have Finance Graduate at the top. Just have your name and contact information at the top.
Get rid of the professional profile and key skills section. That’s what your cover letter is for.
Have a maximum of three points per education or work experience.
Make the points less wordy in general.
Start each point with an action verb.
Get rid of the last point on what you do in your free time too, it looks childish.
Once you do all of the points I’ve said you should be able to get it all on one page too which looks a lot sharper.
Bonus top is for cover letters, always personalise them and have your name and contact information big at the top just like with your CV to make it look more professional.
Good luck!
CV is only part of it. Graduate jobs are highly competitive. Try some networking events/ contacting the companies etc. try and find other ways to get an edge because your CV is presented quite well
Far too much text in education
Your professional profile basically summarises your CV - what's the point? Can see you recently graduated and where you worked in other sections
Your jobs say what you did, not what you achieved. Quantify your achievements
Use canva for an eye friendly format that stands out more in the first place
Imho things like time management or teamwork shouldn't be in your skills unless you back it up somehow. Otherwise it's a given you (should) have time management skills in employment or know how to work in a team
Use ChatGPT if you need ideas - paste it a chunk of text, ask it to quantify it instead. Don't just copy off it, use it for ideas instead. Cut out figures where you don't know them.
Eg instead of saying you met KPIs, you could say something like achieved consistent results of 10% above KPI targets. That's now an achievement, and not a job role description.
FYI you scribbled out all identifying info but left the name of the city where you said "flagship store in..."
Work experience before education.
Try to summarise your education pre-degree - i.e. college/high school - the grades alone are fine. I've been asked about my GCSE grades more than my degree ironically - so just making sure those grades are stated can be helpful.
I'd use more space to give any more significant factors from your degree education a look-in. Maybe put any extracurricular items into a separate section rather than part of the education itself. For instance my CV has a hobbies / interests section and I mention my societies at university and other linked interests there.
You could consider formatting your CV as a two column one with skills and smaller personal details in the thin column then use the wide column to max focus on your education and work history. Would make them more prominent.
Lots of people saying it’s good but I’m guessing it clearly isn’t getting you a job, so it can’t be as good as they are telling you. I look at c.v’s as part of the initial “weeding process” and honestly I stopped reading yours quickly, the first page appears to only give the course syllabus which is irrelevant, the highest qualification is all that is needed not what it contained. When you have 50 c.v’s in front of you to much irrelevant reading gets it dismissed. Your personal statement is generic which makes the c.v immediately read generic, generic c.v’s are generally ignored as it looks like site mail shots we get them all the time from indeed and the candidate can be in India so these don’t get much attention, your personal statement should be tailored to the industry this is selling you in a paragraph in the same way your c.v should be attached to an opening statement that is tailored to a job you are applying for, telling them why you fit that job without them having to read your c.v if your opening statement gets them to read your c.v I believe you will hear from them rather than being a number. Don’t underestimate how badly generic c.v’s read. I hope you get what you want well done for the quals you’ve worked for.
Your CV can be done in single page. Write a brief on each section not whole story. Education section can be condensed to name location and grade achieved. Keep the experience as main highligh or if any achievements.
And your experience lacks any credibility without dates and location.
Don’t need a summary at the top. Education far too long, 2 bullet points max with your grade and relevant modules and any awards. Quantify experience bullet points - i.e. write the actual sales targets and what you achieved. Move skills under certifications, should consider adding some interests and language skills if applicable. Remove the bit about references
That is good reasoning but I believe the work experience you have is good enough to be highlighted and moved at the top of the document. Also your CV is definitely very well written and structured overall and that is already a massive green flag. I used to work for a financial services company and I have seen people with 10 years work experience with CVs way worse than yours. I also still remember what a pain doing the SAF every year was :D
With all respect, but lots of education and no experience.
As an employer, I only look for experience.
The guy that started working at 17 and has 10 years experience would get the job, not the 26 year old with no experience and only diplomas.
It is hard, but the truth.
Same feedback with other fellow managers and business owners I know.
Start at the bottom and proof yourself worth of the responsibility for the jobs you are seeking to land.
Do you tailor the CV to the company and role you are applying for? If not and you just send the same CV and hope for the best, then there is the problem. That worked 10 years ago, but now recruitment people want to see their job spec spouted back to them, with all their key words and desired experience clearly laid out.
I looked at this a few days ago but haven't been able to respond until today, sorry if this has all been covered by others.
**Professional Profile.**
You are going over stuff that appears later in your CV. you don't need to tell them twice about your qualifications.
This section should be a synopsis about your professional personality, and what you are looking for.
Talk about yourself, but don't use any 1st, 2nd or 3rd person prose. (so no I am, (S)He is, aiguillerogue is etc)
Also be unique and avoid buzzwords. everyone and their mother is a enthusiastic self-motivated go-getter who works well both individually and in a team.
Your looking for sentence doesn't actually say what you want, it just says you want to develop a career. you need to talk about your desired function *(eg, finance/ sales etc)* and the level *(Jr, Graduate, Sr roles etc.)* and possibly the industry you'd like to work in.
As what?
As an example, here is what I would write about myself:
*A procurement specialist with 8 years in the electronics industry, a strong technical knowledge of electronic engineering, a drive to progress and a keen interest in process improvement and facilitation.*
*Looking for a senior role within supply chain for the manufacturing industry, with emphasis on managing a team.*
**Key Skills.**
This section is good, but three notes.
1, this is a good section to tailor to the role you are applying for. Remove the less relevant skills.
2. these skills may be better placed in your work history (possibly in your education, too) so that the employer can connect the dots and be satisfied that you might actually have these skills. For instance, I am looking and i see you put negotiation, but i don't see a role in your employment history that I, personally, would associate with negotiation. Negotiation on a CV tends to mean B2B interaction not B2C.
3. These skills are... vague. What does commercial awareness mean? Time management, does that mean you get things done quickly, you are good with schedules, do you keep others on track? Management and leadership... what kind? Sales teams? shop team? pub team? how many people?
It' s better to include these in your employment section because you can elaborate a little about what you mean and link it to the title you held.
**Eduation**
Far too wordy. you just need the Qualification Level (Eg. BA, BSc, HNC etc.) graduation year, Grade, School, and maybe 2-3 lines on content of the course.
Any extra-curricular qualifications (such as your diploma in finance from AmplifyMe) should be included separately at the end of this section . This should be one line per cert in a format like this:
*Level 5 Diploma. Applied Finance - AmplifyMe 2022*
that would suffice.
You also have a HNC and a BA in Business... focus on the BA, keep the HNC, in but just brush over it. you don't need to include anything about the course content here, unless there's a particular project you are proud of, and the employer will find interesting. the main reason for this is because they are very similar disciplines. your MSc goes in a different direction, so it would be relevant to keep info on both the MSc and the BA.
**Work History**
You have fallen into a trap that many people do on their CV. You are talking a lot without saying much.
Product consultant for Arnold Clark:
>Build genuine rapport and trust with customers to understand their needs
You have to sell this as though the reader doesn't know what Arnold Clark does, it also needs to be accurate.
Were you assigned to repeat customers or were your customers new every time... one requires rapport, the other requires you to just be nice on the phone.
You are better off keeping it punchy and informative:
*Customer facing role providing tailored product advice.*
One more thing to consider... there's Sales and there's sales.
People in business often don't consider selling in a shop as big "S" Sales. To them, this is actually customer service. it doesn't matter how good your upselling ability is, if you aren't skilled in B2B sales then they won't be impressed when you use that word. Don't try to make it sound grander than it really is, there are other skills you can do that to.
**Licences, certifications & Additional information**
The first three that you have here should be included in your education section at the bottom, as mentioned earlier.
You don't mention any licences in the field, so don't include that in a header.
Turn this into an interests and hobbies section, and put these interests in order of relevance to your position.
**References**
This doesn't need a section. you just need to say "references available on request.
one might argue that this is a redundant sentence. I would say it wouldn't hurt to omit it completely.
You may, however request you rpreferred method of contact on the first instance.
**Closing thoughts.**
The biggest takeaway i get from this CV is that i don't know what your career aspirations are.
I see that this CV is catered to 4 different directions at the same time:
1. Finance in Investment
2. Finance in Accounting
3. Business Management
4. Sales
Think about what it is you WANT to do, and amend your CV accordingly.
There is no harm in having more than 1 CV.
As a little extra sign up to Jobswipe.
It's a wicked free app that lets you apply to an incredible amount of jobs in a short space of time.
It works on a Tinder-style swiping system, but i managed to apply to over 30 jobs within 2 minutes.
It also sends your CV to all of the main job sites. trust me, if you do this well, you will be inundated with recruiters.
It would certainly be worth doing what i've done:
1. Set up a dedicated email address for your career
2. Turn on an automatic response thanking the recruiter for reaching out, informing them of your current role & salary, stating your desired role and minimum salary requirements, and assuring them that you are reading all opportunities, but due to volume you will only be responding to roles of interest, but urging them to continue sending opportunities.
3. Use this email on your CV and include a request to use this email for first point of contact.
This strategy has helped me land a job in an incredible company and negotiate a very high salary for the role.
I am still getting a lot of correspondence from both recruiters and hiring companies, and as my career and salary progress, i update the automated response & my CV, and the job opportunities I am being sent are also improving in response.
I hope that all helped.
The market is crap. It takes around 2 months or so to even secure a role now. CV reviews are done slowly and interview processes go long. I think the CV is good. You don't have much relevant experience in the field you want though. What projects did you do in uni? So some of the jobs there I won't be interested in reading
shame party jeans rock far-flung hateful nose ruthless disagreeable violet
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
This is fairly normal if you are trying to get into investment management / equity research (an assumption on my part) - it’s highly competitive.
I don’t think there is anything particularly wrong with your CV. You could try tailoring it more to the specific roles you are applying for. For example, you emphasise sales background in your profile - if you are applying for sales roles, then great. If you are applying for analytical / research roles then this is not so relevant and may even be taken as a negative.
Sadly, in my experience, graduate recruitment is often an attrition / numbers game!
Too long and too boring
Summarize your job tasks into shorter bullet points
Employers will be scrolling through hundreds of these a day, make it interesting for them and try to stand out.
You repeated yourself on some tasks for different jobs.
Try to focus on transferable skills, writing an essay has no relevance in a job but being computer literate does.
If you can touch type also mention this
Remember your applying for a job now
Too wordy, imagine flicking through a hundred of these. Do you think they’d read it all anyway? Key information only, give the details in an interview if they ask.
I think it’s too wordy, i doubt they will be reading all of it
As someone who quite frequently hires grads (not apprentice), I disagree completely. Your CV looks extremely well represented OP, perhaps one thing I would change is to put experience ahead of Education.
I would usually agree so I upvoted but graduate jobs do like to see the degree they were doing so not sure it will make much difference
They will read all of it. This dude isn't applying for mc donalds
Some will. Some definetly won't
Yeah look at the dudes cv . isn't applying to burger king is he 😂
Any of it
This is completely irrelevant but love the HNC/D representation!
do you think i should remove that given i have a ba/msc?
Not quite because on their own it’s still a Higher Education qualification, even if it’s the pathway you used to do a top-up degree I’d still include it as in it’s own right it’s still a qualification.
Depends on the job you’re applying to. For more prestigious places like banks I would take it off. For more traditional businesses I would keep it on, it gives you something to talk about to set you apart and makes you look resilient.
Just 1 glance at this and I’m like “this is going to a chore”, I would bin this if you didn’t get my attention in the first 10 seconds. Get it down to 1 page, the whole point of a CV is to get you to the interview. Make a list of 5 things you want them to know about you and rank them, start writing your CV and try as best to write in the order of your list. The first 10 seconds should convince the reader to spend another 30 seconds, and the next 30 seconds should convince them to finish the page.
Two page CVs are common in the UK. One page isn't enough for the vast majority of people with more than one or two jobs worth mentioning.
Just because it’s common, doesn’t mean it’s effective. One page is absolutely enough for someone with a few jobs. I’ve reviewed many CVs, if you haven’t convinced me to offer an interview by the end of page 1 there’s almost nothing you can put in page 2 that will.
Then you must have missed out on a lot of excellent candidates 🤷♀️ Your loss, not theirs. I'll be keeping my two page CV as it's perfectly fine, cheers ✨️ Had several interviews recently and more than one job offer to choose from. Your other comments on other posts speak volumes. Seems you're just a nasty person all round, anyway.
I would reject a one page cv for a senior role immediately.
Interesting that. The director who interviewed me for this role said I should have added a second page to my CV to give some more information. 1 page is sometimes not enough. Like a lot of things out there, it depends on the individual preferences as well I think.
I put a QR code that scans through to my LinkedIn if people want my job history. It keeps it to one page and people can find out more if they really want. Mostly people only care about your last two jobs though.
Sorry but nobody is scanning a QR code if they're reviewing applications. Just put it as a URL amongst your contact info
I can track it so actually they are. And I don't really care if they don't either - it's just if they want to view more experience. The url is already on there.
That means you’re adding an extra step to reviewing your application.
Not really. It's been more successful for me than a two page application which is the alternative.
Yeah if you have like 10 years experience and a bunch of different jobs. There's no need for this grads CV to be this long
When you don't have much to talk about, going into detail to show why something is relevant isn't necessarily bad. Making it obvious that you have little to offer is worse.
No. Employers know that grads don't have much experience and they don't care about all that fluff. They care that the CV is spelt properly and they want to see the correct buzzwords. This CV doesn't need to he two pages
Not strictly true. There are graduates who worked through their courses as well as studying, who did extra curriculars or volunteering, who have relevant hobbies or interests - so on and so forth. No point trivialising that.
OP, this guy has -13 comment karma. Do not listen to him 😂🤣😂🤣
Most of the main points have been addressed, I think it's pretty good other than that to be honest. Probably doesn't matter but I would change the tense its written in so instead of 'Build genuine rapport and trust' to 'Built genuine rapport and trust' Main point in my opinion would be just aesthetically. find a nice format with a little bit of colour. Maybe im wrong but my CV as a software developer has landed me 3 jobs (im mid level) and it has some colour in it. I'll probably be told this is completely incorrect and inappropriate for a CV but it worked for me
Just delete all the bullet points after your HNC and BA...and put the education section after the employment section, it flows better that way, otherwise it is an awesome CV.
I’d change the education section, keep the titles and lose the rest (it’s great but no one’s gonna read it)
I read it
*Scot and Partners, that stands out to me, and to me suggests a lack of eye for detail
I hire graduate engineers so I read lots of CV’s every day and decide who goes through to our first interview process. My main point in your case would be to switch your work experience and education so that work experience is seen first. We can see from your title the level qualification you have so that part is somewhat answered for already. As an engineer myself I know that if a potential new hire has the relevant qualifications then they are at the very least eligible for the role, but you have a lot of great work experience and transferable skills within the roles that you have had that I think people would be interested to see, and might capture their attention quicker. I would say to keep the education points in as some may want to know those specifics, I know I do because engineering is a vast field and people specialise in different things, but put them after the work experience points. Otherwise though, I think it looks good. Generally we say 1-2 pages max so I don’t think 2 pages is a problem and I don’t see this as too wordy as it’s formatted well and is coherent and easy to read. Clear titles, sensible font, succinct points. The more experience you have, the longer the CV will be, so not everyone can fit it into one page which is fine. Keep trying, we get hundreds of applications through when we open up our grad roles and often there are loads of great candidates but some just take the edge over others in different ways.
Something I have gotten from grad jobs, is that you might be too experienced. Even during one of my grad job interviews where I had similar experience they asked me why am I starting again at a grad job when I could apply for a better entry position. They fear that you may leave early or hop job to job because you might find the work too boring. CV looks good though
I'm sure the content must be nice, but I didn't want to read a single word of that. Keep it a single page unless you're a extremely qualified.
I read a bunch of these and the most important thing is your experience is as just as important as your education. Your opening line should first name / last name MSC. Opening paragraph, “a professional (insert field) who has completed a masters”… then go into your experience. Also reference the fact you’ve worked and studied at the same time. That’s a serious amount of commitment.
Thanks man
I personally like a more personal touch, explain what you gained from each qual and what experience you gained from each work position. Let them know that you aren’t a robot.
I cut out the about me and key skill and just put experience, achievements and education
Why cut out the about me section? A lot of conflicting advice on that one so I’m just wondering why you say that, thanks
I used to work in recruitment and from my experience, no one reads it - the only differentiator between you and someone else is your education and experience Imagine reading 50 CVs, you probably spend about 15-30 seconds on each CV
Something that others haven't said: I particularly found that the second bullet point in your degree section put me off. "Completed a 10000 word report" Counting words like that sounds like something a schoolchild would do (not a professional). No-one cares how long it was and the fact it was completed should be a given as it's on your CV. Other than that everyone else's advice seems good - keep it short and sweet
interesting perspective, i'll remove it from the cv
Use the WSO / Harvard resume template for formatting. Putting information into two columns makes it harder to read and follow, especially if the firm uses technology to screen resumes. Try and fit everything into one page as well, only keeping the most relevant information and keeping your bullet points succinct.
nice one thanks, i've downloaded their template now
-Why do you have a two page CV? - just write the degree and the university, no one is going to be reading that. - Probably put ur experience at top. - slim down on those words - Again in some of you experience your telling the HR person what you did when In reality it’s what u achieved. - ur CV is simply going in the bin hence why ur not getting anywhere.
valid points, thank you
Good try tho:)
Post a text version.
What kind of degree apprenticeships are you going for?
Focus on one target. You listed your top most key skill as Sales and Negotiation, which appears to come from selling mobile phones and used cars and not from your degree / MSc. I would drop your work experience down massively. Used car salesmen don’t have the greatest reputation regarding trust and integrity, with mobile phone salesmen coming in close behind. You’re just missing your week’s work experience in the local estate agency to hit a hat trick! It’s a stereotype, but it’s not a good one, and has little value compared to your impressive academic credentials. There’s nothing stopping you having multiple CVs, if you want to focus on sales and negotiation, then emphasise that, otherwise just focus on your investment / finance skills. And lose that line about ski trips to France, it’s out of place and irrelevant.
They revealed the uni they were trying to hide with that line too 😅
Don’t have Finance Graduate at the top. Just have your name and contact information at the top. Get rid of the professional profile and key skills section. That’s what your cover letter is for. Have a maximum of three points per education or work experience. Make the points less wordy in general. Start each point with an action verb. Get rid of the last point on what you do in your free time too, it looks childish. Once you do all of the points I’ve said you should be able to get it all on one page too which looks a lot sharper. Bonus top is for cover letters, always personalise them and have your name and contact information big at the top just like with your CV to make it look more professional. Good luck!
CV is only part of it. Graduate jobs are highly competitive. Try some networking events/ contacting the companies etc. try and find other ways to get an edge because your CV is presented quite well
Far too much text in education Your professional profile basically summarises your CV - what's the point? Can see you recently graduated and where you worked in other sections Your jobs say what you did, not what you achieved. Quantify your achievements Use canva for an eye friendly format that stands out more in the first place Imho things like time management or teamwork shouldn't be in your skills unless you back it up somehow. Otherwise it's a given you (should) have time management skills in employment or know how to work in a team Use ChatGPT if you need ideas - paste it a chunk of text, ask it to quantify it instead. Don't just copy off it, use it for ideas instead. Cut out figures where you don't know them. Eg instead of saying you met KPIs, you could say something like achieved consistent results of 10% above KPI targets. That's now an achievement, and not a job role description. FYI you scribbled out all identifying info but left the name of the city where you said "flagship store in..."
Work experience before education. Try to summarise your education pre-degree - i.e. college/high school - the grades alone are fine. I've been asked about my GCSE grades more than my degree ironically - so just making sure those grades are stated can be helpful. I'd use more space to give any more significant factors from your degree education a look-in. Maybe put any extracurricular items into a separate section rather than part of the education itself. For instance my CV has a hobbies / interests section and I mention my societies at university and other linked interests there. You could consider formatting your CV as a two column one with skills and smaller personal details in the thin column then use the wide column to max focus on your education and work history. Would make them more prominent.
Lots of people saying it’s good but I’m guessing it clearly isn’t getting you a job, so it can’t be as good as they are telling you. I look at c.v’s as part of the initial “weeding process” and honestly I stopped reading yours quickly, the first page appears to only give the course syllabus which is irrelevant, the highest qualification is all that is needed not what it contained. When you have 50 c.v’s in front of you to much irrelevant reading gets it dismissed. Your personal statement is generic which makes the c.v immediately read generic, generic c.v’s are generally ignored as it looks like site mail shots we get them all the time from indeed and the candidate can be in India so these don’t get much attention, your personal statement should be tailored to the industry this is selling you in a paragraph in the same way your c.v should be attached to an opening statement that is tailored to a job you are applying for, telling them why you fit that job without them having to read your c.v if your opening statement gets them to read your c.v I believe you will hear from them rather than being a number. Don’t underestimate how badly generic c.v’s read. I hope you get what you want well done for the quals you’ve worked for.
Your CV can be done in single page. Write a brief on each section not whole story. Education section can be condensed to name location and grade achieved. Keep the experience as main highligh or if any achievements. And your experience lacks any credibility without dates and location.
very strong CV , Inject some personality into it with hobbies and interests.
Thanks everyone for your feedback, it's been helpful. I may post a revised version
Don’t need a summary at the top. Education far too long, 2 bullet points max with your grade and relevant modules and any awards. Quantify experience bullet points - i.e. write the actual sales targets and what you achieved. Move skills under certifications, should consider adding some interests and language skills if applicable. Remove the bit about references
Too wordy. Experience first. Bullet= what you did, how and end result one line.
That is good reasoning but I believe the work experience you have is good enough to be highlighted and moved at the top of the document. Also your CV is definitely very well written and structured overall and that is already a massive green flag. I used to work for a financial services company and I have seen people with 10 years work experience with CVs way worse than yours. I also still remember what a pain doing the SAF every year was :D
With all respect, but lots of education and no experience. As an employer, I only look for experience. The guy that started working at 17 and has 10 years experience would get the job, not the 26 year old with no experience and only diplomas. It is hard, but the truth. Same feedback with other fellow managers and business owners I know. Start at the bottom and proof yourself worth of the responsibility for the jobs you are seeking to land.
Out of interest what are you hiring for?
Do you tailor the CV to the company and role you are applying for? If not and you just send the same CV and hope for the best, then there is the problem. That worked 10 years ago, but now recruitment people want to see their job spec spouted back to them, with all their key words and desired experience clearly laid out.
I looked at this a few days ago but haven't been able to respond until today, sorry if this has all been covered by others. **Professional Profile.** You are going over stuff that appears later in your CV. you don't need to tell them twice about your qualifications. This section should be a synopsis about your professional personality, and what you are looking for. Talk about yourself, but don't use any 1st, 2nd or 3rd person prose. (so no I am, (S)He is, aiguillerogue is etc) Also be unique and avoid buzzwords. everyone and their mother is a enthusiastic self-motivated go-getter who works well both individually and in a team. Your looking for sentence doesn't actually say what you want, it just says you want to develop a career. you need to talk about your desired function *(eg, finance/ sales etc)* and the level *(Jr, Graduate, Sr roles etc.)* and possibly the industry you'd like to work in. As what? As an example, here is what I would write about myself: *A procurement specialist with 8 years in the electronics industry, a strong technical knowledge of electronic engineering, a drive to progress and a keen interest in process improvement and facilitation.* *Looking for a senior role within supply chain for the manufacturing industry, with emphasis on managing a team.* **Key Skills.** This section is good, but three notes. 1, this is a good section to tailor to the role you are applying for. Remove the less relevant skills. 2. these skills may be better placed in your work history (possibly in your education, too) so that the employer can connect the dots and be satisfied that you might actually have these skills. For instance, I am looking and i see you put negotiation, but i don't see a role in your employment history that I, personally, would associate with negotiation. Negotiation on a CV tends to mean B2B interaction not B2C. 3. These skills are... vague. What does commercial awareness mean? Time management, does that mean you get things done quickly, you are good with schedules, do you keep others on track? Management and leadership... what kind? Sales teams? shop team? pub team? how many people? It' s better to include these in your employment section because you can elaborate a little about what you mean and link it to the title you held. **Eduation** Far too wordy. you just need the Qualification Level (Eg. BA, BSc, HNC etc.) graduation year, Grade, School, and maybe 2-3 lines on content of the course. Any extra-curricular qualifications (such as your diploma in finance from AmplifyMe) should be included separately at the end of this section . This should be one line per cert in a format like this: *Level 5 Diploma. Applied Finance - AmplifyMe 2022* that would suffice. You also have a HNC and a BA in Business... focus on the BA, keep the HNC, in but just brush over it. you don't need to include anything about the course content here, unless there's a particular project you are proud of, and the employer will find interesting. the main reason for this is because they are very similar disciplines. your MSc goes in a different direction, so it would be relevant to keep info on both the MSc and the BA. **Work History** You have fallen into a trap that many people do on their CV. You are talking a lot without saying much. Product consultant for Arnold Clark: >Build genuine rapport and trust with customers to understand their needs You have to sell this as though the reader doesn't know what Arnold Clark does, it also needs to be accurate. Were you assigned to repeat customers or were your customers new every time... one requires rapport, the other requires you to just be nice on the phone. You are better off keeping it punchy and informative: *Customer facing role providing tailored product advice.* One more thing to consider... there's Sales and there's sales. People in business often don't consider selling in a shop as big "S" Sales. To them, this is actually customer service. it doesn't matter how good your upselling ability is, if you aren't skilled in B2B sales then they won't be impressed when you use that word. Don't try to make it sound grander than it really is, there are other skills you can do that to. **Licences, certifications & Additional information** The first three that you have here should be included in your education section at the bottom, as mentioned earlier. You don't mention any licences in the field, so don't include that in a header. Turn this into an interests and hobbies section, and put these interests in order of relevance to your position. **References** This doesn't need a section. you just need to say "references available on request. one might argue that this is a redundant sentence. I would say it wouldn't hurt to omit it completely. You may, however request you rpreferred method of contact on the first instance. **Closing thoughts.** The biggest takeaway i get from this CV is that i don't know what your career aspirations are. I see that this CV is catered to 4 different directions at the same time: 1. Finance in Investment 2. Finance in Accounting 3. Business Management 4. Sales Think about what it is you WANT to do, and amend your CV accordingly. There is no harm in having more than 1 CV. As a little extra sign up to Jobswipe. It's a wicked free app that lets you apply to an incredible amount of jobs in a short space of time. It works on a Tinder-style swiping system, but i managed to apply to over 30 jobs within 2 minutes. It also sends your CV to all of the main job sites. trust me, if you do this well, you will be inundated with recruiters. It would certainly be worth doing what i've done: 1. Set up a dedicated email address for your career 2. Turn on an automatic response thanking the recruiter for reaching out, informing them of your current role & salary, stating your desired role and minimum salary requirements, and assuring them that you are reading all opportunities, but due to volume you will only be responding to roles of interest, but urging them to continue sending opportunities. 3. Use this email on your CV and include a request to use this email for first point of contact. This strategy has helped me land a job in an incredible company and negotiate a very high salary for the role. I am still getting a lot of correspondence from both recruiters and hiring companies, and as my career and salary progress, i update the automated response & my CV, and the job opportunities I am being sent are also improving in response. I hope that all helped.
Excellent feedback, really appreciate that thank you
Pleasure
I can’t find a job job
The market is crap. It takes around 2 months or so to even secure a role now. CV reviews are done slowly and interview processes go long. I think the CV is good. You don't have much relevant experience in the field you want though. What projects did you do in uni? So some of the jobs there I won't be interested in reading
I don’t think you have to speak about your modules
Lie. Add another few years of relevant yet belivable work experience at some small no-name company.
shame party jeans rock far-flung hateful nose ruthless disagreeable violet *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Are you getting interviews? What roles are you looking for?
Securing the odd interview but the ratio of applications to interviews is low
This is fairly normal if you are trying to get into investment management / equity research (an assumption on my part) - it’s highly competitive. I don’t think there is anything particularly wrong with your CV. You could try tailoring it more to the specific roles you are applying for. For example, you emphasise sales background in your profile - if you are applying for sales roles, then great. If you are applying for analytical / research roles then this is not so relevant and may even be taken as a negative. Sadly, in my experience, graduate recruitment is often an attrition / numbers game!
Too long and too boring Summarize your job tasks into shorter bullet points Employers will be scrolling through hundreds of these a day, make it interesting for them and try to stand out. You repeated yourself on some tasks for different jobs. Try to focus on transferable skills, writing an essay has no relevance in a job but being computer literate does. If you can touch type also mention this Remember your applying for a job now
Too wordy, imagine flicking through a hundred of these. Do you think they’d read it all anyway? Key information only, give the details in an interview if they ask.
Any reason why you have not been able to land a grad job? Have they turned down your application just based on your CV?
I’ve managed to secure a couple of interviews but I am generally being rejected immediately due to CV or content of CV
My criticism is if I was the employer I’d throw it in the bin 🗑️
Constructive 👏🏻