The Five ‘Ps’ of Great CVs

It’s January. Time to seriously work on what you’ve been putting off since you returned from summer vacation: searching for a new job. At Liquid Swords, we’re constantly thinking about new talent as we grow our studio from 50 to 100, and to help you in your own search, we asked our resident talent-acquisition experts, Leon Loughran and JP Shammass, to share their five top tips to create a standout CV.

Leon and JP have looked at thousands of CVs, “Tens of thousands!” JP estimates. Regardless of the actual number, they both agree that poor presentation makes a poor first impression. “UX Counts,” JP explains. It’s part of his skillset to quickly scan a CV, extract key information, and make an assessment of an individual’s suitability for a follow-up interview. The easier you make JP’s, or any recruiter's job, the easier you’ll leap over that first hurdle.

JP suggests your CV should be in A4 portrait, with black text, use an easy-to-read font, and have good grammar and very clear formatting. Presentation shouldn’t only extend to the look of your CV, but also its length, “A preferably one-page document (but not more than two) is more than enough for a high-level pitch of who you are and why we should consider interviewing you,” he adds.

Think carefully about ‘if’ and ‘how’ you use pictures and other visual aids in your CV. They can help to put across more of your personality and flair, but they might distract and draw attention away from key information in those vital early seconds. For those who don’t feel confident building something visually pleasing, LinkedIn has a free, easy-to-use, and customizable CV-building tool, resume.io also offers a more extensive (but paid) solution.

It can’t be stressed enough that your CV should not only look appealing but it must prioritize the key information that sets out your suitability for the role. “It would surprise you how many people don’t get the basics right,” Leon tells us. His checklist of information all recruiters are looking for includes your name, a one or two-sentence mission or personal statement, work experience (in reverse chronological order), projects, and finally your education, “Always prioritize these,” Leon emphasizes.

JP points out the importance of not thinking about your CV as a “one size fits all” document that you can simply throw at prospective employers. Instead, it should be tailored towards the company and specific role you’re applying for. JP recommends having a master template that you can tweak and amend as a role demands. Personalized bullet points outlining responsibilities, successes, and challenges you’ve overcome in your work will provide tangible examples that demonstrate actions and real-life experience.

Liquid Swords, like all game development studios, recruits a large number of highly-skilled and technical roles. Regardless of whether you work in art, programming, or animation, it’s vital that you can show off your technical work with ease. We suggest a ready-to-share and easily accessible portfolio as the best companion to your CV. If you don’t feel able to make your own page, both Artstation and Github have highly-customizable off-the-shelf solutions.

JP believes that an up-to-date and relevant portfolio achieves two important things. It shows you’ve prepared, knowing you’ll likely be asked to share this information during the recruitment process. It also makes the recruiter’s job easier as they can show your portfolio to your potential new teammates to get a pulse on your level of skill and suitability for a role.

We’ve saved the simplest tip for last, “It’s a pet peeve of mine,” Leon shakes his head, “CVs that haven’t been thoroughly checked.” Small typos and mistakes might not be a dealbreaker, but first impressions matter and you should avoid letting yourself down by something easily avoidable. JP’s top tip is to ask a friend or colleague to proofread your CV first, “Not only can they help root out mistakes, but you can get their valuable feedback on your CV’s content, clarity, and suitability for the role you’re applying for.”

Though not strictly proofreading, it’s worth giving an honorary mention to AI-powered CV and profile tools, which have been making waves in the recruitment world recently. Resume Worded boasts being able to secure you five times more interviews with its ‘tailored feedback on your resume and LinkedIn profile.’ Leon’s advice is to take these platforms with a pinch of salt, “Of course try them, but always bear in mind that your CV or profile is just the first step in a process that requires you to interact and meet with a number of real people.”

In closing, we know there is no exact formula for the perfect CV. You’re a person, an individual, and your CV should ultimately reflect that to give a flavor of who you are. Here at Liquid Swords, we look at every application we receive to help us find those special people who are trained in their crafts and not just experts at presenting their CVs. All our current vacancies can be found on our website. Not seeing a specific role that fits your profile, we still love to hear from talented people with our open application.