It’s no secret that jobs within the Data & Analytics market are more competitive than ever and with some jobs having hundreds of applicants (if not more), having a CV that stands out is more important than ever. It’s well known that many Hiring Managers spend a short amount of time reviewing a candidate, so you need to consider what they can do to have the best impact. We’ve seen it all over the years, from resumes sorely lacking detail through to those that have almost every accomplishment written over too many pages – so we’ve complied a list of the 10 things that could help you create a resume that makes an impact, complete with top tips from our team of experienced recruiters.1. Keep it Simple All of our recruiters are unanimous in suggesting to candidates that the perfect CV length is no more than two pages, or one for a graduate or more junior candidate. Sam, our Corporate Accounts manager suggests that candidates keep it simple:“In analytics, it’s all about the detail and less about how fun your CV looks. My best piece of advice would be to keep it to two pages, use the same font without boxes or pictures, and bold titles for the company and role. It sounds pretty simple but it’s really effective and often what our clients seem to be drawn to the most”. 2. Consider the audience & avoid jargon Before your CV gets to the Hiring Manager, it may be screened by an HR or recruitment professional so it’s crucial to ensure that your CV is understandable enough that every person reviewing it could gauge your fit. Whilst showing your technical ability is important, ensure that you save yourself from anything excessively technical meaning only the Hiring Manager could understand what you have been doing. 3. Showcase your technical skills There is, of course, a need to showcase your technical skills. However, you should avoid a long list of technologies, instead clarify your years of experience and competence with each of the tools. Within the Data & Analytics market specifically, clarifying the tools that you used to analyse or model is very important and writing those within your work experience can be very helpful. Wesley, who heads up our French team, explained where candidates can often go wrong: “Candidates often write technical languages on their CV in long lists and forget to make them come to life. My clients are looking for them to give examples of how and when they have used the listed tools and languages”4. Consider the impact of your workJust writing words such as ‘leadership’ or ‘collaboration’ can often easily be over-looked. It’s important that you are able to showcase the impact that you work has beyond the traditionally technical. Think about how you can showcase the projects that you have lead or contributed to and what impact it had on the business. Often people forget the CV isn’t about listing your duties, it’s about listening your accomplishments.  Ewan, our Nordics Senior Manager brings this to life: “I would always tell someone that whenever you are stating something you did in a job you always follow up with the result of that. For example, ‘I implemented an Acquisition Credit Risk Strategy from start to finish’ – but then adding, ‘which meant that we saw an uplift of 15% of credit card use’”.  Joe, New York Senior Manager, concurs: “Actionable insights are important, results driven candidates are what our clients are looking for. So instead of ‘Implemented A/B Testing’, I’d get my candidates to make that more commercial, such as ‘Implemented A/B test that result in 80% increase in conversion’”. 5. Use your Personal Summary A personal summary is effective when it comes to technical positions, as some people can often overlook them. Use this to summarise your experience and progression as well as indicate the type of role and opportunity you are looking for. If this is highly tailored to the role you are applying for, it can have an extremely positive impact. For example: ‘Highly accomplished Data Scientist, with proven experience in both retail and banking environments. Prior experience managing a team of five, and proven ability in both a strategic and hands on capabilities. Proven skills in Machine Learning and Statistical Modelling with advanced knowledge of Python, R and Hadoop. Seeking Data Science Manager role in a fast-paced organisation with data-centric thinking at it’s heart’. 6. Consider what work and non-work experience is relevant If you’ve been working in the commercial technical sphere for more than five years, it’s likely that your part time work experience during university or the non-technical roles that you took before you moved into your space are no longer as relevant. Ensure you are using your space to offer the Hiring Manager recent, relevant and commercially focused information. However, do not leave gaps just because you took a role that didn’t relate to your chosen field, you don’t need to describe what you did but have the job title, company and dates to ensure you are highlighting a clear history of your experience. It’s important to note that you are more than just your work experience as well, Principal Consultant Conor advises candidates to talk about more than just their work accomplishments:“Listing non work achievements can help make the CV stand out. If someone has a broad range of achievements and proven drive outside of work, they will probably be good at their job too. Plus, it’s a differentiating point. My clients have found interesting talking points with people who have excelled in sports, instruments, languages and more specifically for the Analytics community – things like maths and Rubik’s cube competitions”. 7. Don’t forget your education For most technical roles, education is an important factor. Ensure that you include your degree and university/college clearly as well as the technical exposure you had within this. If you did not undertake a traditionally technical subject, make sure you highlight further courses and qualifications that you have completed near this section to highlight to the Hiring Manager that you have the relevant level of technical competence for the role. 8. Don’t include exaggerated statementsIt goes without saying that if you are going to detail your experience with a certain technical tool or software that you could be asked to evidence it. Saying your proficient in R when you’ve done a few courses on it won’t go over well, especially if there are technical tests involved in the interview process. At the same time, don’t undervalue your expertise in certain areas either, your strengths are what the Hiring Managers is looking for. 9. Don’t get too creativeUnless you’re in a creative role it’s unlikely that the Hiring Manager will be looking for something unique when it comes to the CV. In fact, very few people can pull of an overly flashy CV, most of them being those that work specifically in design. When in doubt, stick to standard templates and muted tones. 10. Tailor, Tailor, Tailor! Time is of the essence and when it comes to reviewing CVs and you don’t have long to make an impact. Make sure to customise your resume using keywords and phrases that match the job description (if they match your own, of course). For example, if the role is looking for a Business Intelligence Analyst with proven skills in Tableau you would not just claim, “experience in Data Visualisation”, you’d list the software name, “experience in Tableau based Data Visualisation”. Although every job description is different, all it takes is a few small tweaks to ensure your maximising your skillset. If you’re looking for your next Data & Analytics role or are seeking the best candidates on the market, we may be able to help. Take a look at our latest opportunities or get in touch with one of our expert consultants to find out more.