CV clinic

Paul Smith recently graduated with a 2:1 in product design innovation and eco-design from the University of Derby. He is looking for a job as a concept product designer for a watch manufacturer. We asked two professionals how his CV measures up


Ian Harrison, consultant,
Bradley CVs

Paul is to be congratulated as he has successfully completed a degree as a mature student after facing a personal tragedy. He has obtained some excellent experience while studying. But overall, the CV is a little bit too long, at three-and-a-half pages. It would be better to keep it to just two pages.

The Profile tries to convey far too much information and is too long. It is usually best to keep the Profile short, typically six to eight lines of text, and just a summary of your main skills, experience and so on. The courses covered by Paul's degree shouldn't be in the Profile - they should be in the Education section.

When you read Paul's CV you realise he has lots of great achievements sprinkled throughout. The trouble is that most employers will only skim-read a CV, so may miss some of them.

It would be much better to put all his main achievements together in one place, as this would make them stand out more. This "Achievements" section should be placed after the profile and should include his excellent design award and the time he was chosen to represent his university at New Designers 2007.

The main skills listed in the Key Skills section might be better covered in the Profile. Paul also needs to expand upon each job to demonstrate his skills, experience and achievements in the Employment section. These should be bullet-pointed to make them easier to read.


Christopher Ward, founder
Christopher Ward Watches

As a mature graduate, Paul immediately has an edge above other candidates thanks to his experience, but this is diluted by too much text. Whilst key skills such as concept development, presentation and an ability to meet deadlines are all crucial and have been referenced, the personal details included at the beginning of his CV detract from this and, if anything, demonstrate a lack of confidence in his own abilities.

Paul's qualifications are strong and he is clearly an enthusiastic designer. However, his past experience and the nature of his degree suggest a real passion for eco issues and energy saving. Why he would want to apply for a position with a watch manufacturer is not at all clear and he doesn't even state an interest in horology under his personal interests.

Paul should definitely rework his CV to make it relevant to the role, keeping the company he is applying to in the front of his mind and ensuring all experience and interests relate to this. If he is certain about a career in horology perhaps he could even study a foundation course with the British Horological Institute to demonstrate his commitment to the profession.

Paul's academic experience in product design is good and his reference to the software he has experience with and his ability to "use a pen and pencil" is relevant. I recommend he cuts down the details of his eco-employment history and bullet-points the specific design experience he gained at university such as that mentioned in his point of note.

In short, Paul's experience, personality and passion for design make him an attractive candidate, but the length of his profile and focus on eco-experience put me off. If he makes his CV less wordy, more design specific and displays an interest in watches, then his CV would grab my attention.

Was it helpful?

Paul says: I've read the comments and I fully agree with both experts. I really do need to pare it down and be concise in terms of what facts the reader needs. The problem is I have too much experience that can grey out what I want to do. I'm capable of many things but I need to be specific about what I want. I may have to tailor several CVs because I have that much work experience and knowledge to draw upon.


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