If you want to land the perfect job, you need a perfect CV.
The right CV will attract leading employers and secure you plenty of job interviews.
But writing an interview-winning CV isn’t easy.
To help you create your perfect CV, I’ve packed this post with 8 example CVs along with some notes explaining what makes them so good.
Perfect CV 1 – Administrator
What makes this CV so good?
This administrator CV is effective for the following reasons…
The profile at the top of the CV catches readers’ eyes with a punchy summary of the candidate’s skills and experience. It does this by containing plenty of key terms that recruiters will be looking for such as; in-demand admin skills, qualifications and industry exposure.
The profile is kept short and sharp to ensure that it can be read quickly and encourages recruiters to read on.
The core skills section provides a snapshot of the candidate’s most relevant attributes such as report writing, research and team leadership – this is great for creating an instant impact when the CV is opened.
The role descriptions give an excellent insight into the candidate’s skills and contributions with an easy-to-read structure and targeted content.
Roles are headed with an overview line to build context for readers, and the responsibilities are bullet pointed for quick and easy reading. Essential admin skills are showcased, along with details of people the candidate interacts with, and impressive achievements they have made in the role.
Perfect CV 2 – Customer service / Sales
What makes this CV so good?
This customer service CV is effective for the following reasons…
The profile summarises the candidate’s skill set in a punchy persuasive manner, to grab the attention of recruiters and hiring managers. It provides readers with the high-level info they need when they open the CV, with details such as; companies worked for, industry experience, and core customer facing skills.
The core skills section does a great job of highlighting the candidate’s most in-demand customer service attributes like; complaint handling, bank transfers and sales. This section’s points can be quickly digested as the CV is opened which creates an instant positive impact.
The role descriptions are headed with an intro line which tells readers who the employer is, and where the candidate sits within the organisation.
To showcase skills and impact, responsibilities are bullet pointed in short sharp lines which demonstrate the candidate’s full range of abilities.
Perfect CV 3 – No experience / School leaver
What makes this CV so good?
This school leaver CV is effective for the following reasons…
The profile hooks readers by summarising the candidate’s highest academic achievements and transferable skills that can be applied in the workplace. As they have no proper work experience, they also highlight positions of responsibility undertaken in school, and express passion for the field they are looking to enter.
The core skills and achievement section allows the candidate to make some of their impressive achievements prominent – and ensure they are noticed as soon as a recruiter opens the CV.
The education section contains plenty of detail to give recruiters a deep insight into the candidate’s subject knowledge, grades, and awards.
The role descriptions are important, even though the candidate only has part-time experience that isn’t related to their target roles. They use them to showcase transferable skills that could be used in any workplace; such as communication, team work and problem solving. The role is broken down into an intro and short bullet points to make it an easy read for employers.
Perfect CV 4 – Graduate
What makes this CV so good?
This graduate’s CV is effective for the following reasons…
The profile or personal statement heads the CV to provide an overview of the candidate’s university achievements, professional knowledge, and in-demand skills for their industry. This acts as a sales pitch for recruiters when they open the CV, and entices them to delve deeper into the document.
The core achievements section draws in readers attention with short points that almost jump off the page. Important technical skills and valuable industry knowledge are great for this section.
The Education section is very detailed so that the candidate can showcase all of their subject knowledge which could be of interest to employers.
Role descriptions aren’t related to the candidate’s degree, and are only part-time, but the candidate doesn’t waste them. They use the roles to demonstrate their ability to work in a business and contribute to a team effort. The text is broken up into small easily-digestible bullet points so that the info can be navigated quickly by busy recruiters.
Perfect CV 5 – Teacher
What makes this CV so good?
This teaching CV is effective for the following reasons…
The profile is designed to grab recruiters’ attention by summarising the candidate’s high-level teaching skills, types of schools taught at, along with age group and subject specialisms. This gives a quick glimpse into to the candidate’s skills, which will excite the reader and persuade them that the rest of the CV is worth reading.
The core skills section does a great job of making the candidate’s most in-demand skills prominent by highlighting them in short sharp terms. This helps to boost the first impression by allowing recruiters to quickly gain an understanding of the candidate’s offering.
The role descriptions are started with an intro line to provide an overview of the role to build context. Then the main detail of the candidate’s activities in the role is listed in short bullet points which demonstrate a wide range of teaching skills and contributions to the school. Notable achievements are drawn out and quantified where possible, to give readers an accurate measure of the candidate’s impact
Perfect CV 6 – Finance & accounting
What makes this CV so good?
This finance CV is effective for the following reasons…
The profile sets the tone of the CV by providing a high-level summary of the candidate which quickly shows recruiters that this candidate has many of the qualities they are looking for. Details such as industries worked in, finance qualifications, finance skills and types of companies worked for are included to build a quick picture of the candidate.
The core skills section provides a quick snapshot of the candidate’s most valued and relevant talents to help boost the first impression created by the CV.
The role descriptions provide a great insight into the candidate’s capabilities by opening with a short intro to build context, and then following up with plenty of detail in bullet pointed responsibilities. The role showcases a broad range of financial skills and input, whilst achievements prove the impact that this person has made.
Perfect CV 7 – Project manager
What makes this CV so good?
This project manager CV is effective for the following reasons…
The profile reels recruiters in by summarising the candidate’s offering with details like; types of projects led, field expertise, industry knowledge and project experience.
The core skills section ensures that recruiters can instantly get a good understanding of the candidate’s background by highlighting in-demand skills – this really helps to make readers stick to the CV and not miss important details in the initial scan.
The role descriptions start with an introductory line which explains the project being worked on, and what the candidate’s overall goals on the project are.
Bullet pointed responsibilities run through the candidate’s input throughout the project, showing who they interact with, and the contributions they make.
Key project achievements are highlighted and backed up with metrics to give scale to the impact made by this person.
Perfect CV 8 – Marketing
What makes this CV so good?
This marketer CV is effective for the following reasons…
The profile heads the top of the CV and acts as an introductory paragraph to excite recruiters and intrigue them to learn more about the candidate. Here the detail is kept brief and very high-level to keep readers interested and avoid boring them.
The core skills section backs up the profile by highlighting the candidate’s most in-demand marketing skills to ensure they aren’t missed.
The role descriptions are headed with an intro which builds context by explaining the business of the employer, and an overview of the role.
Responsibilities are detailed in short digestible bullet points to showcase the candidate’s skills and the results they have generated in the business.
Get started on your perfect CV
Now that you’ve seen some good sample CVs that have been successful in landing interviews for other people, it will be much easier to write your own winning CV.
Remember to keep the CV concise and well-structured to create a pleasant reading experience for recruiters and hiring managers.
You should also research your target roles thoroughly before you start writing your CV, so that you can tailor your CV towards the requirements of your potential employers.
Good luck with your job search!