Getting the Most Out of Your CV

by Josh O'Brien

I want to start by saying this is my personal opinion of what a “good” CV looks like and based on my experience, working with developers, reviewing and sending out CV’s to clients as a recruiter.

With collaboration from the Foxley Talent team and using our combined 30+ years of experience, I believe we can review a CV and can tell if it stands a good chance of being accepted to the interview stage through our clients.

I also want to note, I am aware we are now in a world where AI and ChatGPT bring harm, to the already tough recruitment process, but using these tools to fabricate your CV can hinder your chances of getting through the 1st stage or CV screening phase.

The information and tips I will give are the same (but in a lot more detail) as I gave recently in a Lightning Talk at DjangoCon Europe in Vigo which you can watch if you click here

So without further ado, let’s get started and if you manage to take 1 tip from this article, please share it so others can receive the same benefits.

CV Basics

The Good

• Stick to 1 font throughout the whole of your CV
• Use Headings and Sub Heading
• Make sure your CV & LinkedIn Match up
• Use Months & Years for your employment history
• Stick to a neutral colour

The Bad and The Ugly!

• You do not need to list your age
• Avoid pictures to avoid prejudice
• Questionable emails; don’t use - SexyJoshOBrien@hotmail. Create a professional email and use this for your CV and all applications
• You do not need to list your GCSE results - alongside this, any old jobs when you were at school or even that paper round

The Top of Your CV

This is the first thing that the hiring manager or recruiter will see of your application. The first document that will pass their eyes that introduces them to you, your work/life experience, character, all on a piece of paper. It goes without saying that this is also for 99% of us the most important document we write that will help us to secure a job.

So, the top of your CV needs to be good (professional looking and engaging) and make the reader want to speak to you further. Below I have created a simple but effective top page for a CV, to which I believe lists the important information you need.

Start with your name and underneath, the job title you class yourself as/want. City (or town) you live in (NOT your full address and door number). Your email, number or contact on the left. On the right hand side, your external tech links; LinkedIn, Github, Website etc.

Your Bio

Now this may be something you haven’t done or already do. However, this is something which helps summarise who you are, your years of experience and most importantly, what you are looking for.

It only needs to be 4-5 lines and brief, but describe your background and the type of character you are, maybe don’t list why you are looking for a new role (this is often an interview question), but what you are hoping to get out of your next role. More learning, new technology, leadership experience, different challenges. Don’t be afraid to show ambition, this will help allow the reader to understand the reason you are speaking with them and give them something to talk about when interviewing you.

If you have a large gap in your CV or have been off for the birth of a child/family illness, get rid of the elephant in the room and mention it here. It’s better than someone creating a misconception about your gaps and ignoring you, over you explaining it.

Key Skills

Finally, let’s bring attention to your Key Skills. Note the mention of the word KEY here! If you are a backend developer and that is the role you are looking for, highlight only the languages, frameworks, databases, cloud, CI/CD & DevOps tools you use. Maybe some basic front end technologies.

Try to keep this list short and try not to rank your abilities in these areas. Your “expert” skills with 2 years experience is very different from the Manager with 25 years of experience and their “expert” expectation.

Employment History

Below is the example of a good friend, someone I am fortunate enough to know, and we have previously helped secure a position before - Ester. In this example Ester shows perfectly what to include and how to structure your Work Experience in your CV.

Company and dates of employment should be on the side - with your most recent experience at the top. Remember use months and years, we don’t need to see you started on Wednesday 5th. I always like to include your Job Title as well.

Then into the role. This should almost look like the job descriptions you are reading. You want to highlight your key responsibilities and day to day tasks that you performed. Keep it clear and precise and list the technologies you use to perform the tasks. If you have led projects or worked with other teams, be sure to mention this as well, it shows strong collaboration, leadership and soft skills like communication and listening.

I always like to read someone's CV when they have listed some of the technologies they use within their work experience. I am not a mind reader, if you describe your tasks and achievements in your role, but don’t show me that you have worked with Python, Django, Flask and hosted on AWS, for all I know you have been using Java, C#, .NET or another language.

The fact you haven’t told me but are applying for this Django role, doesn’t fill me with confidence. By listing the tech stack you are working with, you are supporting the fact (to the reader) you have experience with the tools you will be using in the job you are applying for. By putting these skills in bold, you are bringing the readers eyes to these skills and repeating the fact you have experience in them. We are not deceiving anyone or lying about are experience, just bringing attention to your skills vs the skills required for this job you are applying to.

If you have had a short stint somewhere, don’t try to write too much about it, clearly you will have done less than somewhere you have been for 7 years. Likewise, if you have been at a company for a long time and crossed over and worked on some frontend or devops, let the reader know you have worked and gained experience in this area. For a start up business the fact you have been diverse and turned your hands and what is needed is really useful and shows you are a quick learner able to adapt.

“How far back should I go”, I hear you ask. 1-2 pages on your work experience isn’t bad at all, you want to highlight 3 or 4 of your most recent positions in more detail, anything further back isn’t necessarily less relevant, but start to with just list the company, dates and job title in which if asked upon, you can go into more detail.

Education & Achievements

What was your path into the career you are in today? Did you complete a Bachelors or Masters in a certain field before pursuing your career as a developer? Or did you get hands on with a code academy/course and learn on the job?

After your career this is the section to show the reader how you became a Python Developer. If you completed a degree in Computer Science, or completed a thesis in your Masters in a certain technology/industry - LIST IT!! You don’t know, but the reader may have gone to the same university, completed the same coding course, or be interested in the Thesis research you completed because its relevant to the job your applying for. Honestly, the slightest bit of information here could help you to build rapport with the reader/manager and help you to secure that first interview.

Next add your achievements. I don’t mean you played football at uni and came second in the league. I want to know what extracurricular activities you have completed that help you in your professional work. Did you go above and beyond to complete an Udemy course, or get a Certification in something relevant? Something you may have to had to have paid for. This shows me your ambition to learn and better yourself.

Community Involvement

This is a big one for people in the Open Source community. Not just Django but a lot of people who use Open Source frameworks understand the importance of giving back and it is always greatly appreciated and received. So again, you should shout about it and tell the reader what you have done.

This could be anything from, volunteering at a DjangoGirls event, attended a tech conference, were a speaker at an event, wrote an article, a mentor in a tech/study programme. Do you donate or sponsor events, contribute to an open source project, bought and read a book by someone in your community?

All the small things help, and again, you may have something in common with the person who is reading your CV. If you have written anything that you can reference, or gave a talk at an event, then add the link, the manager may have attended but forgotten or be interested in what you presented.

Personal Projects & YOU!

Now this is where I want to hear about your football team. Being personal and showing vulnerability or an insight to the person you are outside of work is what makes us human and helps build connections with our colleagues. This isn’t something ChatGPT can write for you!

We are now at the end of your CV and if the reader has made it this far, they probably like what they have seen. In this section we are providing an extra bit of information into what we like and what we do outside of work. That is allowed to be learning and coding of course, but it’s not work, so it should be fun! If its a personal project, share it, tell us what you did and why you did it, what tech stack did you play with and build it on? Add a link too.

Do you play PC games or have a favourite Xbox game? You made friends at school by speaking about these topics and it’s no different now you are an adult. If its being a photographer, playing sport, hiking, travelling or learning new languages, bullet point it at the bottom of your CV.

Or if you have a family (I know the stress, but maybe, so does the reader) if its spending time with your family or taking your kids to the park. Mention it. Capisce? [capeesh] a word I use with my kids, it means understand in Italian.

Some CV Myths & Other Bits

Q - “Does my CV need to fit 1 page?”

A - NO! How do you cram 2 years, let alone 10 years of experience into 1 page without missing key information about your skills and experience. A 3-4 page CV is perfect. I wouldn’t be to keen on viewing 6, 7, 8+ pages though.

Q - “I had a previous career as a . . . . shall I include it?”

A - Yes. Again, it’s addressing the elephant in the room. You probably don’t need to go into full detail about your role and responsibilities, however, a 10 year gap from education to listing a Software Engineer role with Google does look suspicious. Plus it’s not bad to have gained life skills and business experience in a different industry.

Q - "Should I list every technology I have ever used?"

A - No, Don’t list every technology you have ever seen or played with as a key skill. The clue is in the word, KEY. If you highlight every tech stack you have touched from the first time you coded to now, you’d name lots I am sure. You want to show you are good and a specialist in what your applying for. Plus too many skills shows you are not strong in any or enough areas. “A jack of all trades but a master in none”

Q - "Should I apply for every Developer Job I see?"

A - When it comes to applying for roles, don’t get a bad reputation for being that person who applies for everything. I know it is a tough market and there are lots of developers applying to roles, however, applying for a Java role, then DevOps, then Frontend or QA Tester when you are a Python Developer, can hinder any future applications you make. It diminishes the skills you do have as a developer in your area and casts doubt to the person who may be reading your CV.

Q - "How do I get through the CV scanning bots when applying for a job?"

A - ATS Systems... We can’t avoid them, a lot of companies use them and you have to upload your CV and apply this way. So don’t not apply because you have been rejected before. The tips I have listed in this article are to help you navigate through their “AI Scanning” technology. Just be honest about your experience, repeat the key skills as mentioned and see how it works out.

I have listed other tips in another article to help in the application process, like: find the manager or recruiter responsible for the role and drop them an email/connection/cover letter. If you want to know more about this, Read that article here.

Q - "Should I use ChatGPT to write my CV?"

A - AI keep providing great tools and we should enhance using it. However, it’s not you, so don’t ask it to be. Its modern technology and code right, so it’s not authentic or you. I’ve spoken to university lecturers and hiring companies now running CV’s - as a part of their process - through systems to make sure you haven’t used AI tools. If you have been found to use it and get quizzed about something you have lied about in your CV, you’ve failed the interview immediately. Trust is broken and you can wave goodbye to ever speaking to that company (or their connections) again.

Q - "I want to work in a different country, what jobs should I apply to?"

A - Read adverts before displaying poor reading skills. What do I mean by this? If in the advert the recruiter or hiring manager has stated the position requires on site work, remote within the UK, or no sponsorship offered, do not apply if you know this includes you. ONLY apply to roles which you are eligible for their relocation process.

Thank You

Thank you for making it this far and I hope you have enjoyed reading this article.

These are my tips and everyone has different opinions. It’s not to say anyone else's advice is better or worse than mine, but if you manage to see one good tip that will help you secure a role or get more interviews, then I will be happy. Please share this with other people you know who are looking for work or anyone who may find it useful.

My job is to work as a recruiter and I love what I do, if you want someone to have a look over your CV or help with your search, please drop me an email.

On a final note, here is my Lightning talk on this subject which I gave at DjangoCon Vigo 2024. It’s not great but it is under 5 minutes and something for you to smile at. It also helps me to see where I can learn or maybe have improved vs another talk I give: click here to view.