CV Review for a Spanish Accountant in the UK
in CV Writing by Emma Ireland

CV Review for a Spanish Accountant in the UK

CV-Review-Spanish-Accountant-in-UK

First impressions

The first things that stand out when looking through this CV are:

  • You have used clear, bolded headings for each individual section which makes it easy for the person reading to find the information they’re looking for.
  • Bullet points are used throughout, which again makes scanning the CV much easier.
  • The font used is on the small side, which strained my eyes at times (although, admittedly, I am short-sighted!).
  • The English used is hit and miss – if English is not your first language, it’s always worth getting a native speaker to proofread your CV.

Personal Details

While your name, telephone number and email address are supplied at the top of the CV, there is no residential address or even reference to which city you are based in. As a recruiter, it never ceases to amaze me how many people leave their location off their CV. How can I match a candidate with an appropriate role if I have no idea where they live? Many firms are on the lookout for local candidates, so your address may give you an advantage over other applicants if you happen to live close to the company’s offices.

LinkedIn profiles are fast becoming the go-to resource for many employers and recruiters. If you have a LinkedIn profile, it’s definitely worth including a link to it on your CV.

Personal Profile

The Executive Summary section of your CV – or Personal Profile, as it is more commonly titled – contains the key elements required: who you are and what you are looking for. So, you have got the structure spot on. However, there are a couple of points that could be improved:

  • Be specific rather than vague:
    • Instead of saying you have the “objective to drive efficiency and financial performance” give some concrete examples of your expertise. If you can tailor it to the specific experience required by the firm you’re applying to, even better.
    • Instead of saying you’re seeking a role in a Finance Department where you can apply and improve your skills – which is what pretty much every candidate is looking for – be clear about any requirements. So, for example: “I am looking for a full-time flexible working position that will give me the opportunity to expand upon my audit skills.”
  • Proofread the language for grammar errors, for example:
    • “I am seeking for a position” should read either: “I am seeking a position” or “I am looking/searching for a position”.
    • “Where I can be able to apply my skills” should read: “Where I can apply my skills”.

These may seem like minor tweaks, but if you’re applying for a client-facing role where excellent English is required, a CV containing grammar errors might be the thing that swings it in another candidate’s favour.

Education

You have used a good, clear heading for your Education section and also bullet points, making it relatively easy to read. Less is more when it comes to outlining education, however, so keep it to the bare minimum:

  • What you studied
  • When/where you studied (or, if your course is not finished, how far through you are)
  • What result you achieved

So, for example:

  • CIMA – 2018 – UK – Management Level

Work Experience

Again, there’s a good, clear heading in bold for your Work Experience section, making it easy to pick out. Bullet points have also been used to list your duties and responsibilities, which is another positive. Areas that could use improvement:

  • Put the essential information in bold – the name and location of the firm, start and finish dates, and job title.
  • Capital letters are fine for the essential information, but inconsistency is not – either go with all capitals or just capitalise the first letter of relevant words (names of companies, months of the year etc.).
  • You have used a mix of past and present tenses when outlining your responsibilities for the same role. Pick a tense and stick to it. For example:
    • “Worked with designers and the production team/Coordinate with the team/Performed the annual stock-taking of all materials” should read: “Worked/Coordinated/Performed” or “Work/Coordinate/Perform”. Present tense is more commonly used for your current role, with previous roles generally being in the past tense – although this is not a hard and fast rule.

So, as an example, you want each entry under work experience to look something like this:

T Ltd., London (Luxury Goods & Jewellery)

May 2017 to August 2017

Assistant (Jewellery Department)

  • Worked with designers and the production team on all stages of preparation and production of the diverse portfolio of bracelets for men and women for the season 2017/2018.
  • Coordinated with the team on the production planning to meet the established deadlines, and always ensured clients’ specifications and quality control were met.
  • Performed the annual stocktaking of all jewellery materials.

A big plus is that you have indicated the industry for each company you have worked for. This saves potential employers and recruiters a lot of time looking it up.

Key Skills/IT Skills/Additional Skills

Your Skills and Competencies section has a clear heading and also has various types of skills highlighted in bold throughout the bullet pointed list. This is excellent, as it organises the information logically and makes it easier to decipher. However, if you have different kinds of skills, it can be useful to divide these into entirely separate sections, for example:

  • Key Skills: the types of duties and responsibilities you are capable of performing.
  • IT Skills: the software systems and packages you are familiar with.
  • Additional Skills: anything that doesn’t fall into one of the above categories – for example, your language skills, whether you have a driving licence, or if you are a first aider.

Other Information

You have included an Other Information section which lists your availability and your right to work in the UK. This is a big positive and saves a potential employer or recruiter from having to chase down this information.

Interests

You have not listed any hobbies or interests on your CV. Of course, any potential employer will look first of all at your work experience and qualifications. However, if you are one of several candidates with a similar professional profile, then adding some colour to your CV by briefly mentioning your interests might make you stand out from the crowd. Keep it short, but not too short – you don’t want to bore them with a bog-standard one-word list of pastimes (cooking, reading, socialising), but equally they’re not going to want to read an essay. A line for each hobby or interest is fine.

References

There is no mention of references on your CV and this is a negative. You can leave off names and contact details if you prefer, but you at least need to indicate that references are available if required – something along the lines of “References available upon request” is fairly standard.

Emma Ireland

Emma Ireland is a failed novelist and accidental poet who writes mostly about politics and social issues. She's either a bloody commie or a bourgeois sell-out depending on whether you listen to her Dad or those who strongly disapprove of Waitrose trifles. After studying law at university she chucked it all in to move to Italy and teach Italian business people how to do their jobs in English. After ten years of wine and sunshine, she returned to the UK and is now a recruitment consultant and freelance writer. At least until that unfinished novel makes her a millionaire.