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Who Knows You Better than YOU?


Curriculum Vitae, CV, Resume, Personal Statement…everybody knows what they are, but how you write one is a different matter. It seems we can write social media updates about where we’ve been for brunch or that our cat managed to stand on its hind legs easier than writing about our life achievements.


That is what a CV is, writing down your course of life; education, work history, qualifications and relevant achievements.

It is said that the average Recruiter will only take seven seconds to review your CV before deciding whether you’re shortlisted.

It’s taken me seven seconds to speak that sentence out loud, and you must think, why? Nobody can surely know what attributes and qualifications I have within seven seconds of meeting me, let alone what I write out about myself. First impressions matter. Here my top tips on writing your CV 

1. Confidence - Which sounds better? ‘I believe myself to a be a team player’ or ‘Being a team player is fundamental in achieving goals to ensure effectiveness and ensure success’?

2. Results over responsibilities - If you were responsible for ordering the company stationary, shouldn’t you write about how you managed to lower the organisation’s expenses that quarter than talk about ordering 240 Yorkshire Tea Bags? Focus on the results you achieved and in what time frame you managed to this in.

3. Show an interest - Whether it’s a position within a letting agency or maybe a career enhancement within your current organisation, tailor your CV to reflect the job you want and show them that you are interested in this position. Use the organisation’s name and industry insight in your brief summary.


4. Power words - Joey Tribbiani used a thesaurus to write a letter as he wanted to sound egg-headed, effective, genius, adept, alert. Using power words doesn’t mean you have to change every word and change it to sound ingenious, it means to use words that will give full impact when the Recruiter receives your CV. ‘With innovative strategy, the organisation's revenue increased 150%’ compared to ‘Increased the organisations revenue by 150%’ .

5. Details - It’s amazing how many applicants fail to put their contact details on their CV. Imagine you signed up for a dating profile and then forget to put your contact details on there for a potential suitor to contact you. The heart break!

6. Proof Read - Ensure you proof read your course of life, and ask a friend to read it from an unbiased opinion. There is no excuse for spelling errors with spell-checker, so make time for seven more seconds to use this effective tool as it will impact the seven seconds you have to show who you are.

About the Author:


Daniella is the Operations Director at Pearls International Recruitment Agency. She has worked in Recruitment for over 4 years and recently gained her Recruitment Practice and is a member of the Institute of Recruitment Professionals. Daniella is currently undertaking her CIPD qualification to add to her portfolio of compliance and management qualifications.

Her favourite quote is:

'You cannot change somebody, you can only change how you deal with them'

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