Your CV has one job to do: to get you an interview for the particular area you have targeted in this specific organisation.
Think carefully about this statement, and remember it well. By understanding this one statement you can understand the big picture.
"To get you an interview." Your CV is going to have to get you in the door. You are trying to convince someone to read your CV and agree to bring you in. This means it has to sell you and do so in a way that accommodates the circumstances of the hiring manager and acknowledges their human failings - judgemental, nit-picking, time-poor and prone to stereotype. As such, you need to craft your CV in a clear way, with white space, easy to skim and with compelling evidence of your skills and gravitas.
"For the particular area you targeted." You are neither applying to an Investment Banking position nor necessarily to a specific role. In many firms, we often find the expectations for the same job title differs by organisation. Also, how often do we find our job description is out of date within three months, even though we continue to do the core role? Therefore, when you write your CV, you are trying to position yourself in a specific area and range of competencies, targeted enough to win the advertised role but also broad enough to offer employers the additional value of having the option to deploy you elsewhere within the same general field.
"In this specific organisation." You are trying to communicate that you fit into the culture of the organisation. In many ways, the interview will achieve this, but your cover letter and even your CV can use phrases and examples that convey a kind of fit with the culture of the organisation or department. Therefore, if you want to give a good vibe to the hiring manager and stand out from others with similar achievements, the right phrasing, interests and choice of examples could be invaluable.
So, when you consider these challenges, you can realise how important investing thoroughly in your CV can be.
