How to write a CV that gets shortlisted

Keep it to two pages

Recruiters scan a CV in seconds. Put the most relevant information first.

What to include, in order

1. Your details: name, phone, a professional email address and your town. No need for a photo, ID number, religion or marital status.
2. A 2 to 3 line profile saying what you do and what you are looking for, matched to the job.
3. Work experience, newest first. For each role, list 3 to 5 achievements with numbers where you can: "Grew sales by 20%", "Served 60 customers a day".
4. Education and professional qualifications, newest first.
5. Skills relevant to the job, including software you use.
6. Referees: two or three, with their permission, or "available on request".

Tailor it every time

Use the words from the job advert in your CV where they are true for you. Many employers filter CVs by keywords before a person reads them.

Send it as a PDF

Name it clearly, for example Jane-Wanjiku-CV.pdf.