How To Make Your Town Planning CV Stand Out To Employers
12 Feb, 20251-2 minutes
In this blog, you will learn:
- How to make your town planning CV stand out to employers.
- Why it is important to make your town planning CV stand out to employers.
- Where the latest planning jobs are and how to apply for them.
In a competitive job market like the planning sector, creating a CV that will showcase your skills, experience and expertise is more important than ever.
As well as being able to demonstrate your capabilities within town planning and ability to contribute forward-thinking initiatives, using real life examples to add credibility to your application is vital.
In our latest blog, we’re sharing our tips for helping you make your town planning CV stand out to employers.
How can you make your town planning CV stand out to employers?
There are a number of ways to make your town planning CV stand out to employers, including:
- Use quantifiable evidence.
- Showcase key planning skills.
- Tailor your CV to the employer.
- Demonstrate understanding of UK planning policy.
- Include additional certifications.
- Showcase your passion for planning.
Use quantifiable evidence
When applying for town planning jobs, it’s essential that quantifiable evidence is used to support your statements surrounding skills and expertise. Hiring managers within local authorities and private planning organisations will want to see measurable achievements that demonstrate the impact your skills have had on a project or development.
For example, instead of making a vague statement such as ‘I managed planning applications for a number of residential developments’ you should enhance this statement with tangible evidence. Instead, you could say ‘I led over 20 planning applications that secured the approval of over 500 new homes in X area. I ensured that the plans aligned with local planning targets and contributed to affordable housing for local residents.’
By highlighting the number of planning applications and new homes these secured, you are able to attribute your work to measurable success and detail exactly how you could help a potential new employer.
Using quantifiable metrics is vital for setting yourself apart from other candidates and proving your effectiveness and ability to fulfil the role.
Showcase key planning skills
Before applying for a new town planning position, it is important to have thoroughly read through the desirable and required skills on the job advert. Whilst these may be pretty standard from job to job, being able to tailor your CV to a job advert and indicate that you have the exact skills they are looking for will appeal to a hiring manager.
It's worth noting that many companies use ATS software to filter applications before the hiring manager will look at your CV. By using keywords from the job description, it will significantly improve your chances of making it to the next stage.
Such skills might include the ability to use digital software tools like Geographic Information System (GIS) or expertise developed surrounding the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
The ability to successfully engage with stakeholders and local communities is also a highly sought after skill by local authorities and private planning organisations. Should local communities oppose the plans of local planning authorities, Town Planners must be able to communicate effectively with residents and resolve disputes before they escalate.
Tailor your CV to the employer
When applying for roles within town planning, those who tailor their CV for each individual role they apply for will stand a better chance of being invited to interview than those who don’t.
A hiring manager will spot a generic CV that has been bulk sent to multiple employers and this could imply that little effort has been put into your application.
Planning recruitment specialist, Josh Draycott, says, “If a hiring manager thinks that you have cut corners by sending them a generic CV, this could reflect badly and lead them to think that you might also cut corners within planning projects, which is definitely not an impression you want to give to a potential employer.”
Adapting a CV according to whether the role being applied for is in the public sector or private sector is also important. Whilst you might generally only be applying within one sector, there might be occasions in which you switch from one to the other.
The focuses of local authorities and private sector planning organisations can vary. Whereas a local authority may emphasise the public interest and adherence to regulatory frameworks, a private firm might focus further on client relationships and project delivery. Matching your CV to the priorities of the public or private sector can help you stand out from the pool of candidates.
Demonstrate understanding of UK planning policy
It’s essential that you are able to demonstrate your knowledge of current UK planning policies and regulations, in order for a hiring manager to feel confident in your ability to comply with sector standards.
For Town Planners to navigate legal frameworks, they must possess a solid understanding of local and national planning policies. Along with this, demonstrating knowledge of local development plans is likely to impress a hiring manager.
Your town planning CV should clearly showcase your competency in understanding and adhering to UK planning policy and we advise using real-life examples to add impact and enhance your credibility as a Town Planner.
Include additional certifications
In order to stand out from other applicants, Town Planners should shout about any additional certifications on their CV. For example, obtaining and including certifications gained through The Royal Town Planning Institute or being a member of the institute can give you the edge over other applicants.
Additional accreditations and certifications demonstrate a passion for the sector, a willingness to progress skills, professional credibility and highlight that a Town Planner is committed to carrying out best practice and delivering high standards of planning.
Showcase your passion for planning
It goes without saying that to convince a local authority or private planning organisation that you are the best person for their role, you must show enthusiasm and a passion for planning.
Demonstrating passion shows that you have a genuine commitment to creating communities that are functional, vibrant and have sustainable practices at their core.
Having all the right skills, experience and qualifications is of course a must, however the ability to show that you are innovative and driven to make positive changes for communities is essential for standing out from other Town Planners.
Demonstrating these qualities will also encourage a local authority or private planning organisation that you see the long-term vision of their actions and will commit to helping them achieve their industry targets.
Why is it important to make your town planning CV stand out to employers?
Town planning can be a competitive job market and therefore creating a CV that will catch the attention of a hiring manager is important. A well-crafted CV will demonstrate your key achievements and clearly demonstrate exactly why you are the person for a town planning position.
Creating a CV that a hiring manager is willing to spend time reading is essential for securing an interview and progressing through the application process. Don’t forget, your CV is the first impression a hiring manager will get of you, so it’s important to make it count.
Contact a town planning recruitment specialist
Josh Draycott is a dedicated private sector and local authority Town Planning recruitment specialist with a diverse background in recruitment.
With a strong focus on the planning industry, Josh recruits for a wide range of roles, including Town Planners, Policy Planners, Urban Planners, Development Management Planners and Directors of Planning. His expertise lies in sourcing both interim and permanent talent to meet the planning objectives of his clients.
Planning jobs
If you’re searching for your next town planning job, why not take a look at the latest vacancies, or simply upload your CV to be notified when a relevant position becomes available.
Town planning recruitment services
As town planning recruitment specialists, we support local authorities and private sector businesses nationwide with their temporary, interim and permanent recruitment needs.
Josh has built long-standing, trusted relationships with numerous local council planning departments, delivering tailored recruitment solutions that address the dynamic and evolving demands of the town planning sector.
If you’re struggling to fill a vacancy, get in touch with Josh Draycott on 01772 954200 to see how we can help.
Who is Spencer Clarke Group?
Established in 2017, we’re an award winning and progressive recruitment agency based in the heart of the North West. Our reputation is built on trust, expertise and an unwavering commitment to exceed expectations.
In 2024, we were named Recruitment Agency of the Year at the prestigious Recruiter Awards, an accolade we are extremely proud of.
We operate in two sectors:
In eleven specialisms:
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