How to Write a Damn Good CV & Resume

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How to Write a Damn Good CV/Resume

Have you failed many times getting through your CV review by HR or Hiring Manager? 

I am going to talk about all the tips you can utilise right after reading this posting.

There are key steps you should check before you start writing a CV for the job you want to apply for.


Step 1. Check Requirements (skills and experiences) on the job posting

If you read the job posting thoroughly you will know if you fit for the position or not. Don’t go to the detailed position description (PD) yet, you might get confused when you read much details of the position.

Get a feeling that whether you have relevant skills and experiences compared to what are required to be successful candidate.

If you think you have relevant skills and experiences, you are confidently give a couple of examples to the hiring manager, move on to the next step.


Step 2. Open a Word document, copy and paste the job posting with keywords highlighted

This Is a Very Important Step! You know many HR tools or CV sorting tools (Applicant Tracking System, a.k.a ATS) are being used these days. If you didn’t know about ATS, keep in mind that your CV will go into the ATS database and ATS will sort the applications to shortlist candidates for the next interview. To get a high chance to pass the ATS, what is the most important to do? Optimise your CV using KEYWORDS! 

I have applied for more than hundreds of jobs, and learnt a lot from lots of failure to get through the ATS. From learnings, I have increased success rate of my CV being passed the ATA and have received many phone calls from HR since I analyse each job posting and optimise my CV using the KEYWORDS.

So your question is, how do I identify keywords that ATS is looking for to shortlist the candidates?

  • Open a word file and copy the context of the job posting and paste it into the word file.
  • Look at the job title again and find repeated words. It is usually soft skills or experience (i.e., project management, continuous improvement, supplier relationship, cost analysis, leadership, etc).
  • Highlight the key words with highlighter.

You can do this step either printing hard copies or using a word file. Don’t forget to identify KEYWORDS!


Step 3. Write or Update your CV using the Keywords for the Particular Job

What does this mean at all? When you write a CV, you need to remember the two rules below.

Rule #1. Don’t just change the file name of the CV. Customise your CV for the particular job you want to apply for each time

Rule #2. Use the Keywords that you identified from Step 2. This will help you get through the next interview stage.


Step 4. Review your drafted CV and Make it 1 to 2 pages

When you’ve finished writing your drafted CV, review the context and make it more attractive, impactful CV.

Good CV is usually 1 to 2 pages without too much details.if you say everything you have done so far, the hiring manager may not want to explore more about you. But make sure that you have experiences and skills using the keywords. Now it is time to reduce the pages if your CV is over 2 pages.


Step 5. Replace verbs with Power verb

Hiring manager also feels how much passionate you are, or how actively you have been involved in the experiences you have from the verbs in your CV.

Don’t just say ‘part of the xxxx team’ or ‘helped xxx’ or ‘involved in xxx’. It sounds like you were asked to do something, and you had to do it instead of you did it proactively.

Use power verb like ‘led xxx project’, ‘achieved xxxx by xxxx’ or ‘developed xxxx’. This sounds like you were leading the activity and you achieved it.


Those five important steps will help you avoid the common mistakes so many people are making now and also help you pass the first stage of your interview process.

 I have attached a good Curriculum Vitae (CV) template here. Hope it helps you get a job! 


Good luck! 

Any comments are appreciated.

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