A CV is not just a record of education, experience and skills.
It is a sales document with a very specific purpose: to introduce you on paper, show how suitable you are for a particular role, and help you win an interview opportunity.
That is why my CV coaching is not just about “writing a resume”. It is about helping people build a life skill: how to understand their own value, select the right evidence, and communicate that value clearly to the right audience.
In this anonymised case, “Vincent H.” was a technically capable computer science student with strong academic experience and meaningful project work. His original CV contained useful evidence: technical projects, healthcare-related software work, teamwork and programming experience. The problem was not that he lacked substance. The problem was that the substance had not yet been translated into recruiter language.
The first version looked more like an academic record than a targeted application document. It described modules and projects in detail, but the positioning was not clear enough. A recruiter needed to understand quickly:
- What kind of candidate is this?
- What role is he targeting?
- What evidence shows he can contribute?
Through the revision process, we worked on four areas.
- First, positioning. We moved the CV from a module-heavy student profile towards a clearer graduate software / backend engineering profile.
- Second, skills. We consolidated separate technical points into a more coherent skills profile, combining programming ability, project delivery and communication with non-technical stakeholders.
- Third, experience. We changed duties and descriptions into evidence of action, ownership and impact.
- Fourth, structure. We made the CV sharper, easier to read and more suitable for a recruiter or hiring manager with limited time.
The result was a stronger one-page market CV and, ultimately, a UK Backend Engineering Internship offer.
The deeper lesson is that there is no single perfect CV.
As Heraclitus reminded us, no one steps into the same river twice. In career terms, no two applications are exactly the same either. The role changes. The employer changes. The selection criteria change. The evidence you need to highlight also changes.
For one role, your technical depth may matter most. For another, stakeholder communication may be the differentiator. For another, ownership, learning speed, commercial awareness or problem-solving may decide whether you are shortlisted.
A good CV should therefore be targeted, not generic.
My view is simple: a CV is a purposeful sales document. Its job is not to tell everything about you. Its job is to present the most relevant version of you for a specific opportunity and open the door to an interview.
The real skill is not only writing a better CV once. It is learning how to position yourself with clarity, relevance and evidence throughout your career.
That is what I help clients build: not just a better document, but a better way to understand and present themselves.
About Shuo Yang
Shuo Yang is a CDI Level 7 qualified Career Development Professional and Career Consultant at MyChoiceCareers. He supports students, graduates and professionals with career positioning, CV strategy, interview preparation and career decision-making.
- Email: [email protected]
- LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/yangshuo818
- Website:www.shonemen.com
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