What Does a Great CV Look Like?

First of all, this has been written by a human, not AI.

Secondly, I’m a Professional CV Writer with a proper website, https://johnloganbmc.co.uk/, and genuine Google reviews from real clients https://johnloganbmc.co.uk/client-review/.

I’ve also interviewed hundreds, probably thousands, of people during more than 40 years in business. So, I believe I’m in a good position to tell you what works, what doesn’t, and, more importantly, what makes someone want to interview you.

First Impressions

Like it or not, first impressions count.

Whether a recruiter spends 10 seconds or two minutes looking at your CV, they will form an opinion almost immediately. If your CV looks untidy, difficult to read or poorly presented, you’ve already made life harder for yourself.

What I Don’t Want to See

• Fancy colours all over the CV.
• Decorative fonts.
• Large amounts of unnecessary white space.
• More than two pages (with a few exceptions that I’ll explain later).
• Formatting that’s inconsistent throughout the document.
• Grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes.
• Pictures, graphs or unnecessary graphics.
• Dates that aren’t in reverse chronological order.
• Missing or unclear contact information.

Those are probably the main things that immediately come to mind.

If I had a pile of CVs to read and yours contained several of the mistakes above, it probably wouldn’t make my shortlist. I may come back to it later, but it certainly wouldn’t be in my top five.

So, What Do I Want to See?

In many ways, it’s the complete opposite, but not entirely.

Fonts

Stick to professional fonts such as Times New Roman, Calibri or Arial.

They’re clean, easy to read and accepted everywhere.

If you have a lot of information, Times New Roman works well because you can comfortably reduce the font size to 10 without it becoming difficult to read.

Generally speaking:

• Maximum font size: 12
• Minimum font size: 10

Don’t forget that Microsoft Word also allows half sizes, such as 10.5, which can sometimes make all the difference.

Colour

By all means, use a subtle colour for your headings such as:

• Professional Summary
• Career History
• Education
• Qualifications

A light blue or dark grey works well.

Apart from that, keep the rest of your CV black. You want the content to stand out, not the colours.

Line Spacing

This is something I see all the time, and it looks awful.

People use different spacing throughout the document without even realising it.

Keep your line spacing consistent from beginning to end. A well-presented CV immediately looks more professional.

Length

As a general rule, a CV should be no more than two pages.

There are exceptions.

If you’re a school leaver, one page is perfectly acceptable.

If you’re a graduate, somewhere between one and two pages is usually about right. Personally, I generally produce two pages, but that’s my preference.

The exceptions are professions such as academics, surgeons or people with extensive publications, specialist training or research. Even then, I still keep the CV itself to two pages and, if necessary, use a third page purely for publications, additional qualifications or further information.

Anything beyond that usually becomes a rambling document.

I’ve written CVs for politicians, senior military personnel, Police Officers, directors and captains of industry, and very rarely have I needed more than two pages.

Grammar and Spelling

There are plenty of free tools available that will check your spelling and grammar.

Use them.

There’s simply no excuse for submitting a CV full of avoidable mistakes.

Dates

Always check that every date lines up correctly.

It’s one of the easiest mistakes to make, but it’s also one of the easiest to avoid.

Do It Yourself or Get Someone Else to Do It?

Let’s face it.

When you’ve had enough of your job and decide it’s time to move on, one of the first things you’re asked for is your CV.

That’s usually the moment you start thinking:

“Perhaps my current job isn’t that bad.”

Or…

“I’ll have a go at doing it myself.”

Or…

“I’ll pay someone to do it properly.”

I would say the vast majority of people have a go themselves.

“How difficult can it be? I’ll download a template, fill in the boxes and job done.”

It’s no different to losing weight.

On paper it’s simple.

Eat better.

Exercise more.

Lose weight.

We all know it isn’t that easy.

Exactly the same applies to writing a CV.

You Should Look at Your CV as an Investment

Next to your passport, your CV is probably the most important document you’ll ever own. It’s the one document that has the potential to change your life and it’s recognised all over the world.

How many people keep their CV up to date all the time?

Not many, and I can say that because of how busy I am.

The reality is that most people only think about their CV when they see their dream job advertised. It doesn’t matter whether you’re starting your career, changing industries or applying for a senior leadership position, you’ll still need a CV.

Unfortunately, writing a CV is one of those jobs we all tell ourselves we’ll get around to, but never do. Let’s be honest, it’s hardly exciting sitting down and trying to write your life story, making sure the formatting is correct, the information is accurate and your contact details are up to date.

So where do most people go?

ChatGPT.

Gemini.

Claude.

Copilot.

Why not? You give AI some information and it produces what looks like a fantastic CV.

Notice I said looks.

I didn’t say it produces a brilliant CV.

AI can only work with the information you give it. If you don’t provide the right information, what you usually end up with is a polished job description rather than a document that sells you.

Go on, give it a try.

You’ll see exactly what I mean.

So, What Does a Great CV Look Like?

Apart from the font, layout and formatting, in my professional opinion a great CV must do two things.

1. It Must Make the Reader Want to Meet You

It sounds obvious, but it’s amazing how many CVs fail at this.

Your CV shouldn’t tell someone everything about you. It should make the reader interested enough to invite you to an interview so they can ask more questions.

A good CV creates curiosity.

A great CV opens the door to a conversation.

2. A CV Must Provide Scope

This is probably the biggest mistake I see.

I often read statements like:

“Managed a large team for an established company.”

What does that actually tell me?

Nothing.

What’s a large team?

Five people?

Fifty?

Five hundred?

What does an established company mean?

Instead, tell me something meaningful.

For example:

Managed, developed and mentored a team of 15 within a multi-million-pound organisation based in Central London.

Now I’m starting to understand the size of your role.

Numbers.

Percentages.

Budgets.

Revenue.

Savings.

Projects delivered.

People managed.

I really good place to talk about your Key Achievements

These are the things that give your CV scope and credibility.

Something I Do That’s Slightly Different

This is something I include on almost every CV I write, and I don’t see many other Professional CV Writers doing it.

Immediately after the job title, company name and dates of employment, I include a short Purpose of the Role.

This is incredibly important.

The person reading your CV may know absolutely nothing about your industry or your role, especially if it’s a specialist or niche position.

Don’t think of it as a job description.

Think of it as answering one simple question.

Why were you employed?

What was the purpose of your role within the business?

Just two or three lines explaining that gives the reader valuable context before they move on to your achievements.

It means your bullet points make sense immediately rather than leaving the recruiter trying to work out what your job actually involved.

It’s a small addition, but it makes a huge difference.

Bullet Points

Always write your achievements using bullet points rather than long paragraphs.

They’re much easier to read.

More importantly, start every bullet point with a strong action word.

For example:

• Managed
• Developed
• Delivered
• Spearheaded
• Established
• Increased
• Improved
• Reduced
• Implemented
• Led

This is another area where AI often gets it wrong.

AI tends to write job descriptions.

You don’t want a job description.

You want achievements.

Let’s say you’re a Sales Manager.

Your CV shouldn’t simply explain what a Sales Manager does.

It should explain what you achieved.

How much did you increase sales?

How large was your team?

What was your turnover?

Did you improve profitability?

Did you open new markets?

If you’re a model, it’s about the brands you’ve worked with, the campaigns you’ve appeared in and the fashion houses you’ve represented.

If you’re a surgeon, it’s about the complexity of your work, your specialist expertise and any publications you’ve written.

Every profession has different measures of success.

Your CV should reflect those measures.

Every single bullet point should be something you’re happy discussing in an interview.

It should also add something new.

If you’ve had two similar jobs with different employers, don’t simply repeat the same bullet points.

Show what was different.

Show how you developed.

Show the value you brought to each organisation.

Management Skills and Technical Competencies

This is another area where I think a lot of people miss an opportunity.

On every CV I write, I include eight Management Skills and eight Technical Competencies. These should constantly change depending on the role you’re applying for.

Why?

Because of ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems).

One of the biggest mistakes people make is sending exactly the same CV for every job they apply for.

Don’t do it.

Look carefully at the advert and use the exact terminology the employer uses.

Don’t think:

“Well, that’s basically the same thing.”

To you it might be.

To ATS, it isn’t.

ATS is looking for specific words and phrases. If the advert asks for Stakeholder Management, don’t replace it with Relationship Management because you think it sounds better. If the advert says Business Development, don’t change it to Sales Growth.

Use the wording from the advert wherever it’s accurate to do so.

In my experience, very few people adapt their CV for each role, and that’s one of the biggest reasons they don’t get interviews.

It all starts with your Skills and Competencies.

Professional Summary

Always write your Professional Summary last.

I know that sounds strange because it’s the first thing people read, but by writing it last you’ve already reminded yourself of everything you’ve achieved throughout your career.

That makes writing a powerful summary much easier.

This is your first opportunity to impress the recruiter, or more accurately these days, the ATS.

Your Professional Summary should contain the important keywords from the job advert, but it also needs to tell the reader why you’re worth interviewing.

The number of CVs I read where the Professional Summary has absolutely nothing to do with the position being applied for is unbelievable.

Straight in the bin.

Qualifications, Licences and Training

This is another section where people often include far too much information.

If you’ve been working for twenty years, your school qualifications are probably no longer relevant.

If you have a degree, absolutely include it.

Professional qualifications?

Definitely.

Recent industry training?

Yes.

But your GCSE results from twenty years ago?

Probably not.

The same applies to licences and certificates.

If you’re no longer confident using a qualification or the certification expired years ago, think carefully before including it.

For example, saying you’re First Aid trained when the course was fifteen years ago isn’t helping you.

Keep this section relevant, current and appropriate for the role.

ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems)

I’ve touched on ATS throughout this article, so I’m not going to spend pages talking about it.

Instead, I’ll leave you with what I believe is the single most important piece of advice I can give.

If you don’t adapt your CV for every single role you apply for, you’re significantly reducing your chances of being invited to an interview.

Notice I didn’t say rewrite the whole CV.

You don’t need to.

The areas I concentrate on are:

• Professional Summary
• Management Skills
• Technical Competencies

That’s where the majority of the keywords belong.

When you read a job advert, I want you to think of it as being split into four sections.

1. The Company Introduction

This is simply telling you who the employer is and giving you some background information.

2. Roles and Responsibilities

This explains what you’ll be doing on a day-to-day basis if you’re successful.

It’s useful, but it’s not the section I focus on first.

3. Skills, Experience and Credentials Required

This is the section that really matters.

This is where the employer tells you exactly what they’re looking for.

These are your keywords.

Not the adjectives.

Not the buzzwords.

The actual skills, technical terms and competencies they’re asking for.

Copy those keywords exactly as they appear in the advert, provided they genuinely reflect your own experience.

Then naturally include them in your:

• Professional Summary
• Management Skills
• Technical Competencies

Once is enough.

There’s no need to repeat the same keyword ten times. ATS is far more sophisticated than people realise, and recruiters certainly don’t want to read the same words over and over again.

Final Thoughts

People often ask me what makes a great CV.

They expect me to talk about fonts, layouts, colours or templates.

The truth is, those things matter, but they’re not what gets you an interview.

A great CV is one that makes someone want to meet you.

It tells your story clearly.

It demonstrates the scope of your experience.

It proves your achievements with facts, figures and measurable results.

It shows the employer the value you can bring to their organisation.

Presentation is important, but content is everything.

I’ve spent more than forty years interviewing people, recruiting staff, running businesses and writing professional CVs. During that time I’ve seen thousands of CVs.

The best ones all have one thing in common.

They don’t just tell me what someone did.

They show me why they were successful.

If you can achieve that, you’re already ahead of most people applying for the same job.

And if you’re struggling, don’t be afraid to ask for help.

A professionally written CV isn’t an expense.

It’s an investment in your career.

It could quite literally be the document that changes your life.

for a an outside view perhaps have a look at this resource https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/cv-sections

If you like to find out more information click the button below for a no obligation chat about your CV. I dont bite I promise, and it could possibly open a whole new world for you.