Creating a good CV: First step to success

You will hear all kinds of advice on how you should structure a good CV, some are even backed by research.
I have heard people say that you shouldn’t put a photo into your CV since people are prone to making assumptions
and certain expectations as soon as they take a look at it.

In the end, what matters the most is the content of your CV.

One thing that all the decision- makers that I’ve worked with over the years agreed on is that they want to see your most recent experience first. Although you doubtlessly value your education and first employment they are not what the decision-makers want to see front and centre. Your current position and the “red line” that led to it and keeps going forward is what is relevant here. To show that the position you are applying for is the logical next step in your career.

Therefore, you should always structure your working experiences chronologically, starting with your latest.
Describe every position, the role you were in, scope of responsibilities and technologies and methodologies you used. And of course, your runtime with the position. As a rule of thumb, the average time an employee in the western market stays in a single position is two years. Any employment (outside of freelance contracts) where you stayed much shorter will usually require at least a short explanation in future interviews.

Everything else depends on the context.

It is generally a good approach to slightly modify your CV and adapt it for the situation at hand.
You should never exaggerate or be untruthful, but you can always put a bit more impact on the keywords that are sought after in the job-profile of the role you are applying for. For example, you used SQL databases regularly during your latest employment although this wasn’t the core focus of your current position; now that you are applying for a theoretical data engineer position, this could be particularly relevant and you could stress this activity in the description of your current position.

Be to the point, but remember, so long as it pertains to the subject matter there is no such thing as too much information!

Successful interview: Be prepared!
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