I’ll start by acknowledging that there is no objectively “correct” way to approach CVs, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles. Different firms in different industries will have different preferences, so it’s always worth carrying out a little research to ascertain the basics of what firms expect (one page or two, school grades or only university grades etc.). With that in mind, this chapter simply provides some basic pointers that you may want to consider. 

Bear in mind that whilst a majority of financial services firms tend to expect one page CVs, some (especially law firms) prefer two page CVs. On the flip side, some firms do not request CVs at all. Before starting to draft your CV, check what the firm you are applying to expects and perhaps see whether anyone in your network has an example of a CV that has previously helped an applicant to secure an interview. 

We all know that CVs provide an insight into your past experiences and achievements, but don’t forget that they also evidence your writing style, your ability to distil information into short, concise sentences, your skill at structuring documents and your attention to detail. To that end, and to risk stating the obvious, avoid spelling and grammatical mistakes. To help you do so, ask others to proofread your CV, as if you’ve spent hours working on it, you’ll likely read what you intended to write rather than what you’ve actually written (which can result in you missing errors). 

Make sure your headings, dates and bullet points are in a coherent format and properly aligned and that the fonts and text sizes you use are consistent. Your layout should look professional: avoid the use of flowery borders, bright colours and cartoon images (it happens!) and make sure the structure clearly outlines your experiences and achievements, even on a quick skim. Recruiters are unlikely to pour over your CV for long; there’s evidence to suggest many take no longer than 30 seconds! To achieve structural clarity, you could split your CV into sections, including (for example):

Use space wisely, especially if your CV is only one page long. Filling the page with large headings and including bullet points that contain only a couple of words could suggest you have little to say about yourself. Keep your sentences concise and to the point and avoid repetition, but don’t be afraid to include more interesting or unique interests and experiences if you have space, as this can help you to stand out.

Jake Schogger has also provided bespoke written feedback on 21 different types of application answers, including a CV, a cover letter, a work experience section, and a broad range of competency, strength and commercial awareness-based questions (these are all real applications submitted by aspiring lawyers). See our Example successful applications and cover letters course (chapter 2).