Categorically, the ‘perfect’ CV does not exist. There is no CV template that ticks every single box; a CV should be unique to you, your experience, and your career goals.
What are you looking to achieve?
The first step in building your CV, is to invest time deciding where you want to get to in your career and mapping back to see the steps you need to take to get there. Once complete, you will have a clear understanding of where you want to go and can repurpose your CV accordingly highlighting the skills that may help you to get there.
For example, you may decide you want to step up into a more senior management role, so you would highlight any previous people management, training, project management and leadership experience you have gained.
If have a number of career goals and are looking at a mix of potential positions, you may well end up with more than one version of your CV, each focusing on different areas. For instance, you may have a CV that focuses on technical specialism, one for team management, and perhaps highlighting international work – everyone is different.
Achievements
This is where you can set yourself apart from other candidates. Be specific, with concise examples backed by facts and figures.
How much did you reduce the accident rate by? What new wellbeing initiatives have you implemented and what was the impact? What costs savings did you make? Did you successfully take the company through ISO 45001?
Relevance
It is important to make an impact with your CV. Reduce space talking about roles that you had X number of years ago and really focus on those that are most recent and relevant to where you want to be. Of course, include the job title, company, and dates, but you may decide to not expand your responsibilities there and instead invest the space with your latest achievements.
If you are a health, safety, environment, or sustainability professional currently looking for a new position, and would like advice on your CV, our team would be more than happy to help. Get in touch here.