How to write a CV with impact

If you’re struggling to write a CV that conveys your value in a compelling and memorable way, take inspiration from some of the 2009 TORI (Toast of the Resume Industry) winning entries.

Make your CV both relevant and visually attractive with these features.

Clear focus
Use the top third of your CV to make it clear what you can bring to the role you’re applying for. All the winning nominations are precisely and tightly written to convey the candidate’s unique brand and value.

If you’re looking for promotion or career change, use the title of the job you want as the heading of your CV, and add a branding statement to position you for the job. See this example by Peter Hill, and this one by Jennifer Rushton.

The tagline (line immediately below the heading or job title) can also be used to highlight your key personal qualities. This is a striking example by Kris Plantrich in a CV with an HR focus.

Use your professional profile section to summarise your key attributes and worth. These attributes can then be exemplified in your skills or achievements section.

Font and layout
Use bold to highlight key information. You don’t need to bold entire sentences – phrases and single words stand out well.

Bullet points are helpful for eliminating the “I did” responsability lists. Use action verbs that precisely convey your achievements and use a range to avoid repetition. Barbara Safani uses verbs such as “propelled” and “accelerated” to paint a vivid picture.

You can also use ticked boxes rather than bullet points. As too many bullet points can be tiring to read, this is a good option if you have a number of points to highlight.

If you have a lot of information, consider using columns to separate the text. In this example by Laura Smith-Proulx, specific work expertise and personal skills are divided into two columns to allow both to stand out simultaneously.

If you have a great deal of relevant, solid experience, consider using the first page of your CV to give a summary of your key areas of expertise, selected career highlights, testimonials, and a brief career summary. Use the following pages of your CV to give specific examples and the details of your impact in an organisation. This CV of a finance manager uses a CAR (challenge – action – result) format to demonstrate how the manager solved problems.

Images
Add visual interest with a colour image. In the CV of a marketing executive, a graph breaks up the text to show how sales figures have increased.

Other images that you can use to illustrate numerical information are pie charts (with contrasting colour) and inserts (boxes placed in the margin of the page with text in a bigger font). See this technical CV by Barbara Safani for examples.

Keep visuals simple and uncluttered for maximum effect and impact.

Colour
Underline headings in a contrasting colour, or put headings in a shaded or lined box.

Be consistent with your use of colour. In this example, the same colour is used for headings and for bullet points, to increase the visual appeal.

Image: TORI logo.