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4 tips for writing a 5 star CV

Updated: Jul 29


Five gold stars in a row
Create your stellar CV to stand out in the job market

Ready for a shift in mindset?

Your CV is about you, but not for you.

CVs are not a documentary history of your career, they are a marketing tool to sell what you have to offer - skills, knowledge, capability and experience. And they need to demonstrate to the reader a compelling case for hiring you.


Does your CV showcase the return on investment (ROI) for hiring you? It should, otherwise it won't be doing its job.


Here are 4 tips for writing a 5 star CV - and they all start with a P:

  1. Prepare

  2. Personalise

  3. Proof

  4. Perfect


Prepare

  1. Do your research about the company and the role. Can you articulate why you want to work there? And why you want this job?

  2. Think about how your skills and experience match the role description. What differentiates you from other qualified candidates?

  3. Don’t get distracted by the brand or company name – it’s the role that’s important

  4. Stay up to date on CV trends and formats. Did you know it’s no longer legally required to include your date of birth, gender or marital status on your CV?

    Is your CV ATS compatible?

  5. Be honest with yourself – are you a good match? Would you give yourself the job?


Personalise

  1. Make your CV stand out for the right reasons – invest time and energy in creating a concise, eye-catching profile that ‘sells’ you and what you can offer in a way that connects with the role requirements

  2. Tailor your CV to match the role, every time. Avoid generic CV speak, be more specific about your strengths and potential and what you bring to the role

  3. Make your career progression clear to the recruiter reading the CV. Edit and highlight relevant points to create a strong career story that shows where you’ve come from, the experience you've built and how that a great match for the role

  4. When writing about your experience, highlight what you personally contributed to the role/business and be sure to focus on the outcomes, not the actions

  5. Cut down on information about your early career and shine the light on relevant recent experience and results


Proof

  1. Provide evidence where you can as proof that you can do the things you say you can. Use statistics that support your statements (if you have them) and articulate the change your actions and contributions made to the business. (Read about generating results for your CV)

  2. Mirror the language from the advertisement in your CV to prove you can flex your style and tone and show that you’ve really read and understood the requirements

  3. Check everything again – does your CV match the role? Is the evidence clear, relevant and impactful?


Perfect

  1. Perfect your CV – get others to read, proof and comment on it. Do they agree with your descriptions? Is the value you have added clear? Have you highlighted your relevant experience? Is your profile strong enough to convince someone to hire you?

  2. Be concise. Maximise the space but stick to two pages (remember, it’s a marketing tool and showcase, not an archive of everything you have ever done)

  3. After spellchecking, check again – grammar, spelling, formatting and punctuation

  4. Check the content. Avoid repeating words like managed – get the thesaurus out and boost your vocabulary with action verbs that embody the content that follows - streamlined, boosted, reduced, increased, secured, generated... You get the idea


Once you’ve done all that, check it all again. And again. Then get someone else to check it. Do not rely on electronic tools - they won't notice if fonts are different sizes or if some of your bullets have full stops and others don't!


Is it a concise, powerful showcase of your skills, experience, knowledge and potential? Does it sell what you have to offer?


Yes? Great, now you can start planning how you’re going to tackle the job interview that you’re going to get!


If you want to find out more about how to improve your CV and clearly articulate your professional brand, impact and value, why not get in touch for a free chat about how I can help you? It’s also an option to have your CV critiqued after you've used these 4 tips for writing a 5 star CV.

Click on Book a call on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk

 

Why not follow me for more confidence and brand boosting tips, tools and talks:

LinkedIn Louise Newton


Stuck with your CV? Check out my CV blogs, including How to Write a CV Profile and this handy 2025 guide from ITN Business.

If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the twice-monthly Career Therapy Newsletter? It is packed full of thoughtful career support grounded in years of coaching experience...and real life.


Five gold stars photo by Getty Images on Unsplash


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