Interview - winning CVs

Like a good presentation, your CV needs a hook: something that will draw in the reader, and keep them interested. Answer the 'What's in it for me?' question at the beginning of your CV by linking what you offer to the current needs of the organisation you are applying to. Demonstrate that you understand the sector, the organisation, and the role itself.

Making your CV relevant means displaying those skills, qualifications or success stories to prove you can deal with the problems and challenges of the role.
1. Research
Find out as much as possible about the organisation's products or services, and its current market position. Use the job ad to analyse the role and to understand what the successful candidate needs to do to perform well. If you can't glean this information from the ad, look at others for similar roles in similar organisations to draw up a list of key requirements.

2. Select key details from your background
Find the skills, qualifications, or experience that match the demands of the job. These will vary according to function or sector, meaning your CV will have a different emphasis depending on the job — even though the facts of your work history and background will be the same.

3. Highlight the most relevant information in the top third of your CV
Rather than heading your CV 'Curriculum Vitae', put the title of the job you're applying for.
Under this title, you can add key personal qualities required in the job, or a 'positioning statement' — a short sentence that shows you match the job requirements.

Include a professional profile or summary
Write three to five sentences summing up your value. Your profile can include length or breadth of relevant experience, the impact that your work has had, your personal strengths, and any other crucial details that will "hook" the hiring manager.

Consider a key skills and / or a key achievements section
Put your relevant key skills in one section to avoid having to keep mentioning them in your work history section.

Find a few success stories: achievements which are relevant to the role
These can be anything from increasing profits or customers, cutting costs, streamlining processes, improving efficiency — as well as examples of specific technical expertise that you might need. Put these accomplishments in context, by giving the background to the problem you solved, and quantifying your results.

For example: 'Identified greatest cause of customer dissatisfaction; trained service staff to deal promptly with concerns, and increased repeat business by more than 20%.'

4. Include a covering letter
Your covering letter helps tie in your CV to the position you're applying for. This is where you can demonstrate your personal interest in the job and organisation, and mention a couple of key aspects that show how you are ideal for the job.