Best CV Template? It Does Not Exist

All Job Seekers seem to think that there is one Best CV Template, the killer layout of words and style that guarantees you the wealth and dream job title that you rightfully deserve, instantly.

I’m here to tell you now, that it does not exist. Worst than that, it never will – it is a fantasy, but not quite in the leagues of the Unicorn, but as dead in reality as the Dodo.

Best CV Template test

Why doesn’t the Best CV Template exist? Well, here are two simple tests you can try for yourself, to prove the reality:

• Take a version of your CV, and ask three friends to critic it. Having made the changes, take it back and ask them again. Each time you will find that there are still changes they suggest


• Take three versions of your CV, and ask three friends to choose the best one. I bet, that not one version wins this contest

Best CV Template?

Why does the worlds Best CV Template not exist? A CV is in part defined by layout, which is a style preference. People have different style choices, its why Dulux now offer an infinite number of colours in which to paint your walls at home. Style changes with age and mood: what was good yesterday is not so on trend today. But, and here’s the criticality, none of the people you ask to review your CV are looking at it from the employers viewpoint. They look on it in balance as much of a style and hence CV Layout exercise, as much as one of effective communication.

In the last few weeks, I have had a number of opportunities to review professionally written CV’s by both UK companies and those from overseas. The good news is that a majority of these were good to great, but too large a majority were not effective. Sadly, some weren’t even very good, and yet the clients had paid good and real money for these services.

Most Effective CV

Why weren’t they good? Because they were not effective from an employers critic. What is the most effective CV? Well that’s best achieved by following a check list:

1. Employment starts with a business need, which translates into the need to employ someone, which leads to a Job Description. The Job Description leads to a signed off business case, with the conclusion by HR that the skills are presently not available internally, so hence the writing of a Job Advert, and its publication. This all takes about 100 hours and costs £3500, so do you think just clicking “apply” on a jobs board will get you employed? You need to customise your CV for every job application


2. Read the job advert three times: most job seekers just read title and salary. Note down the skills, qualifications and experiences needed to fulfil that job. Now take a copy of the job advert, and find the same SQE words in your CV. Can’t find them, then don’t apply!


3. If you can find them, do they appear in the top half of the first page of your CV? If they don’t, can you adjust your CV so that they are? If you have that SQE, then yes you probably can: personal statement, keywords, job write-ups. This is an even more critical test for technical jobs such as those in the medical profession, as the employer will not read your CV any further than the first half page UNLESS you have proven that you have the required qualifications and professional certifications


4. Most HR professionals consider that SQE deployed in the last 3/5 years are relevant, and beyond that interesting but supportive employment history. On the first page of your CV, what is the time line? Ideally, it should cover at maximum the last eight years of your employment, so edit it to suit


5. Jobs and skills you did more than 10years ago, unless they resulted in notable achievements such as multi-award winning global media coverage, patents, or ground breaking scientific advances, are best address through a summary of your early career


6. You need an education section in all CV’s. Nominally list everything from your highest qualification back to what you came out of school with. Add in those bespoke training courses which are relevant (ie: relevant to this job and this time, no need to add old/out dated technology or processes/procedures); and make sure you add your professional society memberships. For technical jobs such as the medical profession, engineering, etc where the fact you are qualified is central to the decision to employ, read Note3 again!


7. No need to include hobbies and interests unless they add to your employability, eg: job asks for managerial skills, you don’t have any in work but captain a sports team or run a volunteer group, therefore add a hobbies and interests section


8. There is a lot of debate in the employment industry about personal statements, but the critical elements are: they engage and focus the reader; they must be focused around how your SQE is relevant to that job; power words over use is never impressive!


9. Did you include your name and contact details, both an eMail and telephone? Are these at the foot of every page?


10. Unless you are an artist, black ink on white paper is most readable. Nothing below fontsize 11, and unless you are an actor, no photographs!

The key mistake as a recruiter I always see job seekers making is not showing and ideally proving that they have the required combination of skills, qualifications and experiences listed in the job advert.

Most job seekers assume that like everyone else in employment that I have the time to read their full job application and wholly conclude that yes they have those skills. Unfortunately, even if I did, part of the inbuilt test of a job application is testing the job applicants ability to communicate.

So there it is. There is no Best CV Template, its a style issue and that’s wholly secondary to the words. But there is test of CV effectiveness which every job seeker should be applying to every job application they make, to ensure that they get employed quicker.

Good Luck!

Best CV Template? It Does Not Exist