1.
What the f**k
CV
is wrong with my

2.
What’s wrong with my CV?
A: Nothing. There’s nothing particularly wrong with your CV.
Q: So how come I don’t always get shortlisted?
A: Ah! Well that’s not the same question. Fact of the matter is, your CV is
probably fine. But fine is no longer enough to get you onto the shortlist.
First problem ...

3.
Employer
Approach
CVs
Job-Hunter
Approach
Adver;sing
Trusted
agency
Close
colleagues
Using
proven
people
Daniel Porot’s marvellous model (tweaked a bit)
From
within

4.
CVs
Adver;sing
Too many of the jobs that are out there are being
filled before they even pop up into public view.

5.
So you can be this fox, who has
learned how to find prey
beneath the snow ...
… or this one, who is still
hoping against hope for a juicy,
visible meal in the winter.

6.
WIDGETS
Incorporated
e jet
put th
We
idget
into w
Rowan Manahan
I’m the MD, bitch!
If you have to go the conventional route and
join lots of other people in the hirer’s funnel ...

7.
50
7
86%
3
1
You have to recognise the HUGE elimination rate at the
first stage - getting from the big pile onto the “possibles”
pile and thence to the shortlist, is truly Darwinian.

8.
So the normal distribution doesn’t really apply.
Meh

9.
It looks more like this.

10.
“Screening and Selection” or “Screening
& Elimination? With no malice, the
reader is looking for a reason to chuck
your CV - any CV - into the bin.

11.
Who really
MATTERS?
(Hint - not you. You need to follow Johnny’s advice and
get really good at stalking the people who will be
reading your CV. You have to get into their heads.)

12.
The Ladders research, from Spring 2012,
used eye-tracking software as recruiters
read hundreds upon hundreds of CVs.

13.
It is not a cheerful read ...

14.
Name
Current title / Company
Previous title / Company
Previous position start/end dates
Current position start/end dates
Education
These are the hotspots.

15.
“
If you wish to persuade
me, you must think
my thoughts, feel my
feelings, and
speak my words.
So get good, really good, at understanding what this
reader of this CV for this job is worried about ...

16.
Linkedin is the 800lb gorilla, but it can cause complications if it in any
way contradicts the CV that you have sent in to a company. Not a
problem if you are an X and you are positioning yourself only for X-type
jobs. Very tricky indeed if you are transitioning into Y- or Z-type jobs.

17.
Great book - highly recommended

18.
Great site - highly recommended.
The webinars give you a real
insight into how recruiters are
viewing you and what they are
looking for.

19.
SIZE MATTERS

20.
Curriculum Vitae (abbrev. CV)
A brief account of a person’s education, qualifications,
professional history and occupations, typically sent
with a job application.
ORIGIN:
early 20th Cent.: from Latin, the course of life
Operative word: brief

21.
900 to
1,100
words
So, pare it back!

22.
EDUCATION & TRAINING
INSTITUTION
QUALIFICATION
Project Management
Institute
Project Management Prince 2
College, Location
Masters in Business Administration
YEAR
2013
(Practitioner Level)
2011
Thesis: Implementing ERP in the multinational setting
Company, Location
Advanced Presentation Skills
2009
ACCA
ACCA – Membership
2007
College, Location
B.Comm – 2:1 hons, Top 10 in class
2003
Electives: Human Resources and I.T.
School, Location
Leaving Certificate
525 points achieved
This is one area where a typical
CV can start to really sprawl.
2000

23.
EARLY CAREER
JOB TITLE
COMPANY
Early (and frequently irrelevant)
career details can add pages...
YEARS

24.
Write real
PURTY

25.
For sale.
Baby shoes.
Never worn.
Doesn’t matter that it wasn’t
Hemingway - it’s great writing.

26.
I
am
a
highly
experienced
Accountant,
with
a
number
of
years
experience
in
the
financial
area
including
the
Multinational
sector
and
Financial
Services.
Prior
to
taking
up
a
career
in
Accountancy
I
ran
the
family
business
for
a
number
of
years.
I
possess
strong
interpersonal
and
communication
skills,
with
the
ability
to
interact
effectively
&
professionally
with
clients
and
colleagues
at
all
levels.
I’m
a
team
player
with
a
strong
work
ethic,
while
I’m
an
ethe other hand, is learner
with
ability
nthusiastic
88
This, on
wasted words and does not make work
situations.
to
adapt
quickly
to
meew
ato meethallenging
n want nd
c this candidate.

27.
One false word, one extra word, and somebody’s
thinking about how they have to buy paper towels
at the store.
Brevity is very important. If you’re going to be
longwinded, it should be for a purpose. Not just
because you like your words.
Amen!

28.
SELL, DON’T TELL
Far too may writers waste far too much space detailing the things
they are responsible for. I can’t distinguish one Management
Accountant from another on the basis of responsibilities.

29.
So, no copying and pasting from your job description please.

30.
Contributions
Suggestions
E
C
Wins N
E
R
E
F
F
I projects
DSpecial
Over-and-above
Tell me about the things you have done that are in some way
special, the things that have made a difference to your boss.

31.
WOO THE EYES
If your document is badly laid-out, has too small a font (anything
smaller that 11pt and I’m pretty much hating you!), huge chunks
of dense text, endless lists of bullet points, my eye is offended.

32.
August 2010 to Present
Headhunted by Widgets Incorporated (IRL) as the Senior Management Accountant, reporting to the
Financial Controller. Widgets competes in the blah-blah sector, the local affiliate has a turnover of €92 million
and employs 175 staff. Along with the typical analysis, audit and reporting functions, my brief encompasses:
•
Line management for 11 staff – 3 Accountants and 8 Clerks
•
Development, implementation and updating of all policies and procedures in my remit
•
Capital expenditure projects from inception to completion
•
Collaboration on key projects – insurance, systems development, stock control
Key Contributions
•
Migration from legacy system to SAP – project team member
•
Merger, acquisition and diligence activities from time to time
•
Conducting training in finance for non-financial management
May 2005 to August 2010
Joined Fidgets Ltd as Payroll Clerk, reporting to the Management Accountant. Fidgets is
Make it clean and easy to read. A few lines to introduce the role
and the company. A few bullets detailing some of your special
responsibilities. Contributions split out, so I can jump to them.

33.
Because if you do end up on a large pile, content will not be
enough - your document will need to seduce the reader.

34.
I have a great eye for
DEATIL
This is not funny

35.
Proofreading your peppers
is a matter of the
utmost impotence
This is
(Taylor Mali)

36.
Passive voice
In-jokes / Abbreviations
Slang / Informal
Overstating
Mixing tenses
T
F
A
R
D
UnNecesary CapitalisatioN
That’s before we even get to
“there/their” and “were/where”

37.
We all think we know these basics and yet the
majority of CVs I see have errors in them.

38.
Knowing your shit
And neglect not ...

39.
Knowing you’re shit
… the humble apostrophe

40.
MAPPING
You would be surprised how many jobseekers have very obviously not read the
advert or job description.

41.
Dick Bolles’ wonderful book

42.
What shape is
ME HOLE?
My draft title for my next book.
Square peg, round hole … geddit?

43.
“
Am I a good hire
for this job?
Ask yourself these questions - as
harshly and objectively as you can.
Would I hire me to
do this job?

44.
KEYWORD FROM THE
RESPONSIBILITY
ADVERT / JOB DESCRIPTION WITH THIS ITEM
CONTRIBUTION
WITH THIS ITEM
Then, before you start tweaking your CV
for this application, break it down. What
do they need vs what have you got?
SCORE ON
BEST DAY
SCORE ON
CRAP DAY

45.
Because, for a hotly-contested position, the reader will be making
his/her mind up as they get halfway down the first page.
“Is this person in my frame for this job - yes or no?”
They won’t say yes quickly, but they will say no very quickly.

46.
What’s wrong with my CV?
Nothing and everything. The good news
being that lots of the reasons CVs-that-are-fine
get dumped, can be easily fixed.

47.
Rowan_Manahan
@
ch
u
am
rr
ve
ew
gy
ha
T