The content of your CV or Resume should include a personal statement (or a brief introductory paragraph), your education, experience, interests, and contact information.
“I prefer to see these details in reverse chronological order. Begin by describing your current activities, as this is the most important information, instead of starting with something like a part-time job on a farm from 10 years ago!”
Tailor your CV to the specific job you are applying for, particularly in your personal statement. Remember to highlight how you have addressed similar challenges in the past to make your experience more relevant to the role.
“Additionally, consider including "motorsport" in your 'interests' section, as it is not just a job but a true passion that you want to convey.”
It’s important to remember this is a sales document for yourself. Show your photo and feature a nice header, it makes the hiring manager’s life easier that much easier to recall someone after looking at 100 CVs that all look identical.
“I like some colour in there as well. There are plenty of online CV builders to help you stand out from the crowd.”
Keep it to one A4 page if possible, unless you have 20 years of diverse experience, in which case it should still be concise. Consider including photos if they are relevant to convey your skills and experience effectively.
“I recently saw an impressive CV from a motorsport fabricator that included detailed photos of his work as an attachment to his CV – a great idea.”
When sending your CV by email, save it as a PDF. In such cases, name your CV as your name only, for example, "First name Last name CV”.
“It's worth noting that in some cases, you may be required to upload your CV as a Word document to apply for a vacancy, as some automated systems can better process Word documents.”
Run your CV through an AI checker if you think it will be screened with an AI system.
“Smaller teams or companies wouldn’t usually do this, but larger ones could be receiving 100’s or 1000’s of applications per vacancy so are more likely to use AI tools for initial screening.”
Keep your “Get in Touch” section professional, with contact number, town, county, country, and email address. No jokey emails as well!
“Don’t forget your contact details! You’d be amazed at how many CV’s I’ve been sent without so much as a contact number.”
When applying for a job in another country, make it clear if you already have permission to work there by including visa, dual citizenship and the languages you speak.
“English is said to be the language of motorsport but not always so this could be important.”
Read through your finished CV in 15 seconds and see what you get from it.
“This is what a recruiter will most likely do; so you need to ensure your CV is concise, relevant and interesting.”
If you lack experience or you’re a recent graduate, you need to think of relevant things you have done that would interest the recruiter.
“It may seem like nothing to you but the fact you helped a friend at a race meeting or rebuilt a classic car with your dad all help build a better picture of who you are and how you might fit into an organisation.”
