How do you write a (good) one page CV? Well, if you’ve been following a random CV template you downloaded from your uni website 3 years ago, you’re in the right place to get started. Good CV formatting as a student or graduate includes cutting it down to a singular page, as it’s extremely unlikely you’ll have enough relevant experience to fill two or more pages (and nearly 50% of recruiters prefer a one page CV anyway).
One page is also the ideal length for hiring managers or recruiters to be able to easily read your application, therefore increasing the likelihood you’ll make it to that all important interview stage. Today we’ll talk you through 6 quick and easy steps you can take to write a one page CV alongside some general good practice tips to help you smash that next job application.
Include Only Relevant Experience When Writing A One Page CV
Including every bit of experience you’ve ever had ‘just in case’ will hurt your case, not help it. Look at the job description and highlight exactly which skills they’re looking for. Look over your experience (everything from internships to extracurricular activities, they all count) and see which of these experiences demonstrate the skills from the job description.
If one of your experiences doesn’t include anything they’re asking for – miss it out. They can see it on your LinkedIn if they’re interested. Aim to include 3-4 of your most relevant pieces of experience on your CV
Lacking experience? Check out our paid 8 week internships and sign up to our waitlist to get notified when new options open.
Include Your Skills Within Your Experience Section
If you’re running out of space on your CV, including your skills within your experience section is the way to go. Firstly, a bullet point list of skills doesn’t actually prove you have those skills (the worst communicator in the world could list ‘communication’ and a hiring manager wouldn’t know the difference between them and you), and secondly it takes up loads of unnecessary space. Add the skills to your experience section with SAR sentences instead.
Only Include Your Most Recent Education
Only include your most recent education in the education section on your CV. Unless specifically asked for in the job description, you can miss off your GCSEs and A-levels etc. Use the space you’ve saved for work experience or expanding on the skills you developed or projects you worked on within your degree, which are far more likely to be relevant to your job role than your C in GCSE drama.
Hyperlink Extra Work Or Projects
Hyperlinks are perfect if you’ve got loads to say about your work experience or project results to show off but still want to write a one page CV. Underneath the section where you’ve mentioned a project or outcome, add a ‘click here to see more’ and hyperlink it to a page on your portfolio website (make one) or somewhere the reader can access the project work. This provides evidence of your skillset whilst keeping the process of viewing it really simple for the hiring manager.
Miss Out Information They Already Know From Your Application
You can miss out information such as ‘references available on request’ or ‘looking for a role in digital marketing’ (or whichever industry you’re applying to). They already know this, and if they want references, they’ll ask. They can probably figure out you’re looking for a role in digital marketing if you’re applying for a digital marketing role. By cutting these out, you’re automatically a couple of lines closer to a one page CV.
Shorten Your Personal Statement
As mentioned above, you often waste space in your profile sentences explaining your degree and the industry you want to enter, meaning you can definitely shorten that personal statement. Your degree will already be included in your education section (we hope) and again, they already know you want to work in this industry. Use your personal profile, statement or ‘about me’ section to instead highlight your most relevant experience, your area of expertise or why you can specifically help the company. For example: ‘A digital marketer with 2+ years of social media experience who can help small brands build an online audience’ is ideal for a social media role with a small start up.
To conclude, the ideal length of a CV is one page, and there’s lots of quick and easy ways you can achieve this format and write your next draft. If you’d like extra help with your CV, download our FREE Ultimate CV Guide or book a CV review session with a member of The Grad Soc team. Good luck with your next draft!
