A back-to-work CV, aka resume, highlights your experience and skills and — in my opinion — doesn’t try to hide time away from the workforce. Here is how to write it.

Whatever else has changed about the job market, some things remain a constant. You’re probably going to need a CV that stands out. Many recruiters and executive search firms have examples and templates for creating CVs on their sites. Whatever template you choose, here are some broad guidelines to help get your CV through to that all-important interview.

Length

No more than two pages. No arguments here, no one is going to read more than two pages. And making the font really tiny is not an option.  

Style

Write it in the third person and avoid all pronouns. Firstly, it avoids you using the word ‘I’ every other line and it’s easier to boast about yourself when it reads as though someone else is saying it. Women are notoriously bad at boasting about themselves  

Personal details

Name, contact details, phone, address, email address. You would be amazed at the number of CVs that don’t have details of how to contact the candidate.

Do NOT include your date of birth or a photo or your marital status. They are not relevant to modern CVs. Include a hyperlink (rather than a long list of words and numbers) to your website if you have one – and LinkedIn profile.  

Executive summary/personal statement

A concise, memorable synopsis of you, summarising why you should be hired. It should be tailored for each job you apply for. It will take time to write, needs to sum up who you are, what you’re offering and what you’re looking for. Unless it’s wildly inaccurate, think about giving yourself the title of the job you’re applying for.  

Key skills

Before you describe your detailed work experience, provide a summary of your key skills. The question is, which ones and how many? In terms of how many, obviously it’s a judgement call, but if you’re listing more than 25 then it’s hard to claim they are all ‘key’ skills. What sort of skills will they be looking for?  Be specific and don’t waste space with skills that are too basic or generic. 

Work experience

Do not simply list your responsibilities. It’s boring and being responsible for something doesn’t necessarily mean you made anything happen. Talk about results. You weren’t “in charge of regional marketing”. You ran a campaign that drove a 30% increase in inquiries.

List your experience chronologically but be aware of the need to showcase the most relevant to the vacancy. 

And bring your experience to life. Make it interesting. For each role, tell the story of how you added value. Focus on achievements and outcomes. Include innovations or new ideas that you introduced and the impact they had. 

Education and qualifications

You’ll also need to include details of your education, qualifications, language skills and any other information that’s relevant to the role. 

Be sure to include any continuing or adult education, including online courses, masterclasses or lectures that shore up your experience and have kept your skills fresh. (For example, mentioning how you’ve brushed up on the use of AI in your field is of interest to a lot of employers these days. You can get a leg up on your understanding of it with our Queenager’s Guide to AI.)

Hobbies

Adding a section on ‘hobbies and interests’ makes your CV a bit more personal and gives you character. But do take a little care with this. ‘Socialising with friends’ is a pet hate for a third of recruiters.

This is an opportunity to show your personality and interests…as long as they aren’t too fringe or niche (no underwater basket-weaving…unless you’re applying to be a master basket weaver).