7 Top tips for CV writing
Have you have just finished university or are looking to join the insights profession?
We know that writing a CV that stands out to leaders in this space can be difficult, so we’ve put together a seven-step CV guide, with a template – just get in touch below for a copy.
- Personal statement and summary of skills and achievements
First things first, write a personal statement and include your skills/achievements to date. Keep it relevant and short.
- Highlight results
This is always useful if you have very little work experience – highlight results from work, volunteering, or work experience/placements.
- Show industry interest/knowledge
If you don’t have any experience in the profession, do some research and tell potential employers why you want to work in insights, market research or analytics.
- Tailor your CV to the job you are applying for where possible
If you are applying for a lot of jobs, tailor the CV to the sector. This makes it easier to personalise them and will show a genuine interest in the business.
- Projects you have supported/worked on where possible
Whether it’s from work experience, volunteering or placement, discuss projects you have worked on, i.e. “Worked on a project about Hydro rowers for John Lewis, where I analysed surveys from people aged 16 – 65 on their exercise habits. I then had to export and clean the data, and draft for a presentation”.
- Volunteering
If you have experience as a volunteer researcher, analyst or similar, provide details including projects. If you haven’t, there are always opportunities available and it’s a great way to get some relevant experience under your belt.
- Work experience
Outline your work experience (if applicable) and include responsibilities, key achievements, and skills. This also applies if you have done some work experience/placement while studying.
There are thousands of opinions on the internet about what to include, what not to say and the best format. There is no one right answer!
We asked what clients wanted to see, and what the most important factors were when looking for entry level talent, and these were the results.
For entry-level roles please do keep an eye on our vacancies page – we don’t often get these in volume, but any we do have will be listed. If you’d like a template on CV writing, you can email letitia@elizabethnorman.com for a copy.