CVs and Cover Letters

The Essentials

If you're looking for a job, you'll need a good CV and cover letter.

Remember, employers scan CVs for only 6 seconds.

Your CV has one major goal: to get you invited to interviews. It's simply a marketing document designed to sell you to the employer, so they can see, even with a quick scan, how you match their requirements. There are only a few things you need to do.

Your Action Steps

• Review the options for ways to build your CV and pick an approach (online CV builder, a “Done For You”, Career Coaching, or by using one of my free CV templates in the Career Resources Library on this site.

• Make sure you review your LinkedIn and other social media profiles: align these with your CV and clean them up if necessary.

• Consider putting together an online CV. This is not essential, but it is a cool add-on and an easy way to share your CV in a stylish format with potential employers.

• Don’t be boring; share a little of yourself and your personality in your cover letter and CV. Although this may make you feel a little vulnerable, it will help make you stand out among bland, clichéd or otherwise standard CVs.

• Get up-to-date information about what’s working out there e.g. talk to recruiters, do your own online research, read advice columns. For example “Applicant Tracking Systems ATS are increasingly commonly used to shortlist applicants (meaning an algorithm will read your CV and decide if you’re a good fit or not). You can use services such as https://www.jobscan.co/ to help you set up your CV, Resume, Cover letter in a way that will increase your chances.

Other Benefits

In addition to getting you interviews, a great CV can also provide:

1. Confidence – seeing on paper what you can do, your skills, achievements and experience is a confidence booster.

2. Clarity – writing a great CV forces you to get clear about what you want next and what you’re aiming for. Your goals are about what you want to do next in your career — and your CV needs to reflect that. We’re going to go through exactly how to do this.

3. Support in your interviews – a good CV should give you the language, the words and the examples you need to shine in interviews.

What’s the best way for you to build your CV?

You have several good options, but each has pros and cons and will take varying levels of time, effort and investment.

Here are your options:

1. Online CV “Builder” App

Includes range of templates and examples so it's relatively easy. Most are USA builders so may need a bit of adjustment for use in NZ and elsewhere. See next page for links.

Most are fairly inexpensive e.g. $16 annually (US$) for access to online platform.

2. “Done for you”

This means contacting a firm who write CVs as their core business. Usually they write a lot of CVs and tend to put out fairly generic content.

But it does get the job done and is probably quite fast.

Ballpark likely to be $200- $500 or could be more for Senior Executive and Professional CVs.

3. Career Coaching

Very useful if you lack clarity about what you want and how to market yourself. The quality of your CV and your future role depends on how well it reflects where you want to go and what you have to offer. You'll work with the coach (the coach probably won't do it for you) but in the process, you'll learn how to build your CV and how to customise it for future job search applications.

It's an investment. Hourly rate range roughly $120-$250 p/h.

4. Your CV or Portfolio online – on a website

You definitely don’t have to have an online CV, but if it’s something you’d like to put together it is a great way to showcase your skills with potential employers. And because not everyone has one, it can make you stand out.

You can either do this completely free of charge using an easy to use website builder, like WIX, or you can upgrade and buy your own personal domain and other features.

5. Start with the CV templates on this site

Free and downloadable on this site.

Online CV Builders

Some of these are good. The best thing (I think) is that you just focus on getting the words right. You don't have to worry about the design and layout. Your result should look tidy, clean and easy to read.

They are inexpensive and most have a large bank of CV template design options so you can pick one you like.

Many also have examples of words to use for specific industries (e.g. common words and skills for retail, hospitality, health and many other sectors).

Please be aware that most CV builders are not NZ based so the language and style is a little different. You may need to adapt and you definitely will need to customise to suit you.

If you are a Kiwi, adjust to suit and have a trusted friend review your work. It's really difficult to be objective about ourselves and it's usually difficult to even be able to see our strengths and skills, let alone be able to write these down on a CV.

Most include lots of templates/style options, word banks and guidance:

• https://novoresume.com/

• https://www.visualcv.com/

• https://cvmkr.com

• https://www.myperfectresume.com

Do you already have Office 365? If so you'll be able to access Microsoft's Resume Assistant.

Careers NZ has a very simple and free CV builder plus lots of other free advice and information.

Each option has pros and cons – and some of my clients have used these quite successfully.

“Done for you” CVs

You might want someone to just do it all for you?

Just be a little cautious. Some such firms are a bit like CV factories - they contract the services out to CV writers (who could live anywhere in the world) and I've had a few clients stung by such deals.

However, others could be good quality and if you are pressured for time then it could be worth investigating.

Do your research, ask a few questions, shop around - before you invest.

To find providers in your area I suggest you do a Google Search – e.g. “CV writing service”, “CV service”, “Write CV NZ”, “CV design”, “Executive CV NZ”.

Career Coaching

It's an investment in your future. How clear are you about what you want for your next step?

• What are your barriers?

• How are you sabotaging yourself?

• What are your options?

• What are your goals... and your gaps?

If you want answers to questions like this, then coaching could be for you.

You can see my services on this site or for other NZ professional career coaches, visit: cdanz.org.nz

To find a qualified, professional coach, look for the ICF Credential (e.g. ACC, PCC).

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should my CV be?

Two or three pages is usually ideal. Remember it’s about quality not quantity and less is better when you’re the person reading 300 CVs and deciding who’s on the shortlist.

It depends on your background and whether the employer/recruiter has advised more detail, but remembering you only have six seconds to make a great first impression then shorter is better.

One page CVs can also be useful, especially for students, people with limited experience, or to use as a cold calling/prospecting aid.

What are your best tips for CVs today?

You only have six seconds to make an impression, so you need to make it as CLEAR as possible how you are a great match.

If you have access to a Job Description, check towards the end and you’ll often find a person specification for the ideal candidate. This is a brilliant checklist to use when writing content for your CV. Use some of the same words. Don’t make it too obvious, but make sure you are making it really easy for them to see how you match.

Order your skills accordingly, in terms of essential skills being listed first.

Consider making a “master” CV with all your details, skills, achievements and experience. Use this master to customise specific CVs for different job applications. That is, customise each CV and cover letter to match the particular job and person requirements.

I just need someone to write a CV that will sell me (I haven’t written one in years/I’m too busy/I don’t know my transferable skills).

I hear you and you do have a few options – see earlier pages for specifics about five different options and costs.

The hardest thing about writing a CV is knowing the words to use. But, it's a double-edged sword because “quality in equals quality out”. Which means that to get a great CV you will need to invest some time and effort (and maybe money, too).

The best CVs tell the person's story. They show who you are and what you've achieved. So, even if you choose to invest in a CV writer and get a “done for you” CV, you still need to take ownership. You know best what you have done and what you're capable of doing next.

Refer back to the beginning of this article for your options for getting your CV done.

Please be cautious if you use one of the big “done for you” CV services. I've had clients use these (prior to seeing me) with disappointing results: generic, jargon-filled, dense CVs that we've dumped and re-started from scratch. On the other hand I'm sure there are plenty of people who are happy with results but just be cautious and take ownership. If you're not happy, say so.

I do quite like the online CV builders (like visualcv and myperfectresume) simply because they allow you to focus on your content and not worry about the formatting. They also have libraries of suggestions you can browse and use.

Of course I'm biased, but usually a useful approach is to invest in a session or two with a professional career coach to help you frame up your summary (that's the hardest bit) and identify your key competencies and achievements.

What competencies/skills should I include? (And where are my gaps?)

There are several ways of clarifying how well you match what an employer is looking for. You could use this information both for your current job search (your next move) and for your future career planning – your aspirational career goals for the next 2-5 years.

Job advertisements – clearly state the essential and desired skills sets. Identify the skills you have (and those you don't).

Job descriptions – some organisations, especially larger organisations with HR teams, may provide job descriptions for advertised vacancies. These job descriptions tend to be quite long and delve into detail about required competencies and other aspects of the job. They may also outline the “Person Specification” which is a very useful outline of exactly what they are looking for in terms of experience, qualifications and skill sets.

Hays offers a “DNA series" which outlines typical profiles and backgrounds for people in a variety of roles. The Hays site also contains other useful job and salary information.

Do you see gaps in your skills/competencies?

Most of us have gaps, and your can use this to plan your development with relevant training, courses, mentoring, networks, and/or “stepping stone” roles that will give you experience and skills.

Rule of thumb – if you have 80% of the skills asked for, including the essential skills, that's fine in terms of applying for a role. You don't need to be a perfect match to apply.

What if there is no job advertisement? What if I’m sending my CV to my network or cold calling?

You’ll have to make a decision on how you want to focus your CV and the types of roles you’re interested in.

I understand that you might be able to do all sorts of things and fit lots of roles, but it’s about marketing. If you can do everything, the employer will get confused. Decide on your direction and create your CV around that.

1. Decide what roles/direction you want to head in (e.g. even if it’s a general direction, like Learning and Development, Programme Management, Marketing and Communications or General Management).

2. Make an educated guess on skills and experience that will be most desired.

3. If you have contacts, talk to them to try to uncover what they’re likely to be looking for.

4. Find job advertisements for similar roles and use keywords described there.

I’ve heard CVs have to include achievements but I don’t have any awards or real achievements. What do I do?

You do have achievements.

Think laterally about the word “achievements”. Achievements are not only what you do (your job/duties) but how well you do your job/duties and the quality of your work and the value you’d bring a new employer.

Achievements are more powerful than simply listing duties and responsibilities.

Think about what you are proud of and what you have accomplished. How well did you do the job?

Achievements can cover a very wide range; for example, people and teams, delivering projects on time and with positive feedback, number of enquiries, budgets achieved, new clients/sales, facilitating training, introducing a new idea, overcoming challenges, solving problems, awards or recognitions.

If you can, try to find a couple of facts/numbers to quantify your statements. Numbers stand out in your CV and some readers scan for numbers. For example, managed an annual department budget of $100k, identified monthly savings of $5,000, led a team of 5, or collaborated with a project team of 6. While not grammatically correct to use digits instead of written words (5 not five), it makes the number stand out on the page.

Isn’t it cheating to customise my CV?

No.

Your CV has to be honest, but it’s a marketing document. Remember you have a very short number of seconds to make an impression, so you need to let them know your relevant skills and experience. You don’t need to tell them everything you can do, in any given order. That’s not smart.

Your CV is aimed to get you to an interview, and spending a bit of time customising will usually help.

What CV format is preferred by employers?

In general, chronological CVs are preferred and should be ordered with most recent employment listed first. Employers want to know where you worked and what you did.

I’m changing careers so how do I do my CV?

Make your transferable skills more prominent and include on page 1.

That’s your “highest value real estate”. Location, location, location. Remember, you’ve got six seconds in which an employer decides if you’re in and worth another look, or out.

Plus, in your summary and cover letter, talk about your reason for applying, your interest in the company and career.

Transferable skills - do I have any?

Yes you do!

Everyone does. They’re the soft skills. People skills. The skills you take with you and use no matter what your job is. Things like teamwork, collaboration, agility, enthusiasm for learning, organisational skills, strategic planning and leadership.

I’ve seen my dream job advertised - how do I maximise my chances?

Customise your application. This will take a bit of time.

Highlight important words or phrases in the job advertisement and make a list of these for easy reference.

Do your research and review company online: their website, Facebook page, LinkedIn page (if any) and media articles. Look at messages from the CEO or company leaders to get a sense of their priorities and values. Use their Facebook or LinkedIn pages to see what they’re posting about, what they care about and where their priorities lie.

See if you have real world or online connections in the organisation, such as current or past employees or people in the same industry, and reach out to these people about their impressions of the organisation in terms of its values, priorities and problems. They may be able to give you an inside perspective.

Craft your CV and cover letter with the above in mind, thinking about how you can add value and show how your values align.

If you don’t meet some of the skills or experience requirements, focus on what you can do and the value you do offer rather than what you don’t. The employer will work out your gaps and may see enough to grab their attention. If you’re a real outlier, you could include skills that are related but not specifically listed in the advertisement, especially if your skills could help in a priority area or help solve a problem/pain area for the organisation.

I haven’t written a CV for (10 years, 20 years, never). Are CVs different now?

1. YES! They’re not life biographies. You don’t have to include everything you did since you were 16- years-old. Be honest but include only what’s relevant.

2. Don’t include your age or marital status. It’s not relevant.

3. Old style CVs focused on duties and responsibilities, but new CVs focus on facts and achievements. It’s not just about what you did, it’s about how well you did it. You need to showcase your achievements. These will help the employer understand the quality and value you bring. Write a master list of your achievements, both at work and in life. Use this list to pick and choose things to include in your CV (depending on the role you’re applying for).

Do I need a cover letter?

Yes.

Some employers don’t read them, but others base their first short-list decision (whether your CV will be in or out) on your cover letter. So yours needs to be good, just in case.

Cover letters are a good summary of key information and your motivation for applying.

Don’t worry about your cover letter being a slight duplication of your CV. People tend to scan rather than read every word.

Do employers check Facebook profiles?

Yes, they do. Review and, if you need to, clean up your profile. Delete photos or posts if they’re inappropriate. Employers will discard potential applicants at the hint of unsavoury behaviour.

Do I need a LinkedIn profile?

It is a good thing to have but not essential.

If you don’t have one, even a very basic profile with a few key words that align to your desired career path is probably better than none.

Employers and recruiters are increasingly using LinkedIn to find staff, or checking on your profile if you have applied for a job.

Being on LinkedIn also gives you heaps of opportunities to expand your network, and to make a “brand” for yourself.

Should I use a photo on my CV?

It’s up to you. Some employers will like it, and others not. It’s not mandatory. They’ll probably check your Facebook profile and will see your photos there too.

Do I need an online CV?

No, but it’s pretty cool!

Online CVs are a great way of getting noticed. An online CV won’t replace your document CV but it can be a great add-on, especially useful for emailing your networks. If you’re in a creative industry or work on online projects, an online CV is an excellent platform for showcasing your portfolio and creativity. Wix.com, for example, provides some excellent CV templates and you can add your own domain name, or use theirs, which is free.

Why are there so many different opinions from every person I talk with?

I’d love to say my template is the “Ultimate CV” but there is no single best style because every reader/employer is different, and what attracts one person doesn’t attract all. For example, one person might advise you to never use a photo, whereas others think it’s helpful.

Every person you talk to will probably have a different opinion. Your CV’s job is to get you interviews and if it’s not, you need to ask questions and change it. Change the order, review skills and experience wording. Of course, this is within reason. Some industries are very competitive or the roles are already spoken for, and it’s really hard to get interviews even when you’ve got a brilliant CV.

How do I make a CV when I don’t have much work experience or if I’m returning to work after a gap?

Firstly, yes, this is harder, but we all have to start somewhere.

Even the most brilliant world expert in a field was at one time someone with zero experience. Even Steve Jobs was at one time someone with zero experience.

It’s a first step. Or a first step back after a period away. It’s about your motivation and how well you present yourself.

Think widely about your life and activities. You will have learnings from other areas; for example, from school, groups, trips, leisure activities, community or voluntary work, sports or outdoor challenges.

What are some common CV mistakes?

1. CVs that are just a life history and not customised to the role. Your CV is a marketing document. Its job is to get you an interview. It needs to be future focused to help you get what you want next.

2. Naming your CV inappropriately for the role you’re applying for. For example, “CV – personal assistant” when you’ve applied for a customer service role.

3. Spelling and grammar errors.

4. Addressing cover letter/email to the wrong person.

5. Poor formatting: your CV needs clear headings and an easy to read format so your skills and experience are obvious.

6. Using a dicey email address (for example: crazymama(at)ymail.com) would create a red flag.

7. Too long, or too short: three pages is about right.

8. Missing vital info: you have to include the essentials, as your prospective employers would never be bothered finding out more.

9. Sending in your CV too late: some employers will make a decision early and maybe even before the closing date. Send your application as soon as possible.

I’m finding the job search really hard - what can I do?

The majority of my clients hate (or at least dislike) job search.

It sucks. Rejection hurts and it eats away at confidence. Plus it’s really time consuming! There’s a lot of time and brain energy in searching adverts, contacting networks, customising applications, keeping records and so on.

It can help to think of it a bit like a game, or a fishing expedition.

You might not catch a fish but one day you will. You have to keep going out and know that nearly everyone else struggles too.

Be kind to yourself and seek support. Keep trying and keep several “irons in the fire” so you’ve always got another job lead to look at.

What skills should I include?

Review your CV and ensure you have included a variety of types of skills. Employers want to see you have both “soft” (people and communication) skills, and “hard” (technical or job specific skills) on your CV.

Being great technically is not enough, and being great with people is not enough on its own. Ideally you want to showcase that you are a rounded individual bringing with you people and technical or job specific abilities.

For example, technical or job specific skills are usually learned from training (on the job or through study). They may be less transferable to other jobs or other industries, although this is a big generalisation. Programming skills, analysis and forecasting, and designing e-learning, for example, are highly transferable skills.

Operating specialised machinery, using in-house software, knowledge of languages, surveying land are examples of “hard” skills, or also known as job specific or technical skills.

People, communications and leadership are often called “soft” skills and are highly transferable. Communication, teamwork, leadership, time management and facilitation skills are all examples of soft and transferable skills.

Many skills may be a blend of both. For example, a professional mediator with dispute resolution skills may have completed formal study and earned credentials.

What are transferable skills?

Transferable skills are adaptable (portable) skills that can transfer from one job to another and be used in many areas of work.

Organising is an example of a transferable skill. Organising often involves bringing people and resources together to make something happen. Other examples of transferable skills are leadership, communication, customer service and project management.

Transferable skills may have been developed from work or life experience. For example, arranged a sporting event, planned a community fundraiser or organised a display or exhibition.

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Skills List:

Here's a list of skills to get you thinking. This is clearly not a comprehensive list, so please amend to suit and add your own.

People

• Interpersonal skills

• Collaborate and build relationships

• Demonstrate social/cultural sensitivity

• Resolve conflict

• Mediate

• Advocate

• Provide care & support

• Serve as a liaison

• Develop systems

• Serve clients & customers

• Counsel

• Teach

• Facilitate groups

• Train/facilitate

• Induct new staff

Organisational

• Manage information

• Categorise or organise data

• Manage data or records

• Manage accounts or finance

• Prepare accounts

• Budget

• Estimate

• Create and maintain schedules

• Arrange events

• Manage inventories

• Manage health and safety processes

Communication and Influence

• Listen

• Speak/interact

• Write (e.g. various types of writing – writing for business, online content for websites and blogs, non-fiction, journalism, writing articles, writing for social media)

• Persuade

• Promote

• Sell

• Present to groups

• Consult

• Interview

• Negotiate

Physical/Technical

• Skilled in trades requiring physical coordination

• Build

• Construct

• Renovate

• Draw

• Inspect

• Test

• Operate equipment

• Operate machinery

• Drive vehicles

• Handle tools

• Repair

• Maintain

Management & Leadership

• Coordinate, implement or manage projects

• Organise/plan

• Build, manage, lead teams

• Coach

• Set goals

• Create strategic plan

• Communicate vision

• Make decisions

• Project manage

Analytical

• Analyse

• Research

• Solve problems

• Evaluate

• Theorise

• Forecast

• Compute

Information Technology

• Install/repair IT hardware

• Install/fix/re-configure software

• Design software/system architecture

• Project manage

• Project coordination

• Develop websites

• Develop programs/apps

• Provide helpdesk support

Creative

• Brainstorm

• Use intuition

• Invent

• Conceptualise

• Design

• Synthesise /integrate

• Visualise

• Use artistic /creative skills

• Write (e.g. novels, biographies, short stories, poems)

• Compose music

• Create images

• Perform

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Action Words

Possibly the hardest thing about writing a CV is thinking of the words to use. Action verbs/words can help. Choose words from the list (or your own) to start sentences or bullet points for demonstrating skills, experience and achievements.

• acted

• adapted

• addressed

• adjusted

• administered

• advised

• advocated

• aided

• analysed

• answered

• appointed

• approved

• arranged

• assembled

• assessed

• assisted

• authored

• began

• built

• calculated

• cared for

• chaired

• charted

• clarified

• classified

• coached

• coded

• collaborated

• collected

• combined

• communicated

• compared

• compiled

• conceptualised

• condensed

• conducted

• considered

• consulted

• contributed

• controlled

• cooperated

• coordinated

• corresponded

• counselled

• created

• critiqued

• customised

• decided

• delegated

• demonstrated

• designed

• determined

• developed

• diagnosed

• directed

• discussed

• distributed

• drafted

• edited

• educated

• elicited

• enabled

• encouraged

• enlisted

• established

• estimated

• evaluated

• examined

• exceeded

• executed

• expanded

• experimented

• explained

• explored

• expressed

• extracted

• facilitated

• filed

• focused

• forecasted

• founded

• furnished

• gathered

• generated

• guided

• handled

• headed

• hosted

• identified

• illustrated

• implemented

• improved

• incorporated

• increased

• influenced

• informed

• initiated

• inspected

• instilled

• instructed

• interacted

• interpreted

• interviewed

• introduced

• invented

• investigated

• involved

• joined

• judged

• lectured

• led

• listened

• located

• logged

• maintained

• managed

• marketed

• measured

• mediated

• merged

• moderated

• monitored

• motivated

• negotiated

• observed

• obtained

• operated

• ordered

• organised

• originated

• outlined

• overhauled

• oversaw

• participated

• performed

• persuaded

• pioneered

• planned

• presented

• presided

• prioritised

• produced

• programmed

• projected

• promoted

• recommended

• reconciled

• rectified

• reduced

• referred

• reorganised

• repaired

• replaced

• reported

• researched

• resolved

• restored

• retrieved

• reviewed

• revitalised

• searched

• set

• shaped

• simulated

• solved

• spearheaded

• stimulated

• strengthened

• studied

• succeeded

• suggested

• summarised

• surpassed

• surveyed

• synthesised

• systemised

• tested

• transformed

• translated

• upgraded

• utilised

• won

• wrote