As experts in Accountancy and Finance recruitment, one of the most common questions we get asked is “what do I need to put in the perfect CV?” So, here are our top tips for writing a CV that will help you secure the accounts role of your dreams.
Contact Information:
I know this sounds obvious, but we receive CV’s on a weekly basis that do not contain any means of contacting the candidate. So make sure you include your phone number and email address. Ensure you have a professional email address on your CV and a professional answerphone message for when you receive a call.
Start with now:
Start with your current job first, put your roles in reverse chronological order; clients will be interested in your current experience and this is also likely to be most relevant to the role for which you are applying.
You work for who?
Don’t assume that everyone will know who your current employer is and what they do. Provide a brief description of what the company does or its sector, if it is part of a group include information such as approximate turnover.
State the level of person you report into and if you manage a team, e.g. reporting to the Finance Director, managing a team of 2 part qualified accountants.
Make it easy to read:
Use bullet points, put each task as a bullet point and remember to leave lots of white space; don’t crowd everything together. Provide a brief summary of what you did, just enough to provoke the client’s interest, leading them to invite you to discuss the finer details of how you did it at interview.
Achievements:
Once you have your tasks down for the role, bullet point your achievements. It’s great to say you’ve done something but were you any good at it? Use facts to back up your statements; £ saved, % increase & decrease or time saved.
Show your progression:
If you’re looking for a role where you can be promoted, a client may use evidence of your previous progression as an indication that you’re promotable in the future. If you have been in your role for an extended period of time, break it up into blocks e.g. where you took on extra responsibility, or the focus of your role changed but maybe your job title didn’t. This way you can show how you have developed in your role.
Make it relevant:
Your CV is a sales document and it should be tailored to the specific role you are applying for; certain achievements will be more relevant for one job than another. It is very easy to just click ‘apply’ and attach a standard document, but investing a few minutes tailoring it for each specific role will greatly increase your chances of securing an interview.
You have noticed the mistake, write?
A typo could cost you an interview or at minimum get the client questioning your attention to detail. Make things uniform, same font and layout throughout, use spell check, ask some one else to read and review it for you.
If you follow these simple tips, you will put together a CV that will greatly increase your chances of securing an interview for your ideal role.
Yours Sincerely,
Matt Finch (Managing Director of BTG Nottingham)
P.S. For further careers, CV or interview advice please feel free to contact me or one any of the expert team at BTG Recruitment on 0115 9607000.
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