Your CV
Your CV is your opportunity to make a good impression
Make sure it showcases all your relevant skills and experience in the clearest and best possible way.
Your CV will grow with you over time, and you will add to it as you gain knowledge and experience
You can read through the person specification and job description for the role you’re applying for and then tailor your CV so it highlights relevant points where your skills and knowledge match the job advert. This will give you the best opportunity to be shortlisted.
What to include and how to structure your CV
Personal Summary
This is your chance to grab the recruiter’s initial attention, so this section should consist of short sentences totalling three or four lines and be around 60-70 words.
This should highlight key aspects of your CV such as your key skills, job roles and achievements and should briefly outline the type of job you want and, more importantly, explain WHY you think you’d be suited to this kind of work.
Avoid using generic adjectives to describe yourself, such as ‘hardworking’, ‘enthusiastic’ or ‘confident’. You may be these things, but so are all the other people who are applying. Tell the recruiter what makes YOU different to all the others!
We prefer you not to write in the third person! Always use ‘I’ and ‘me’ when talking about yourself.
Personal Details
Keep this section simple. Simply give your:
Name -Include your full (legal) name, and also how you prefer to be referred to.
Postal Address - Many people prefer not to include an address, but without this, you wont be fully registered, and may not come up in searches. Its better if we can understand a radius for possible jobs - if you will relocate - just mention this. But still include a full address.
Mobile Number - If you prefer not to be called during certain hours, just make a note of this. If you have limited signal at home, you might want to provide an alternative number.
Email Address - Please use, a professional looking email address – not one you used for social media, when you were 15. This will stay with you throughout your professional career.
We also prefer this to be a personal email, not your university one, as in a few years, we could lose touch.
Skills
List relevant skills & knowledge this will include systems and software you can use confidently or have used previously i.e. Word; Excel; Photoshop; etc.
State your level in each honestly i.e. Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced.
Employment History
List all work experience (both paid and unpaid) and voluntary work in reverse chronological order, beginning with your last position.
Provide brief details of the companies you've worked for i.e. the name and type of business.
State the dates of employment and include details of your key responsibilities and - more importantly - key achievements within the role.
Ensure the details are factual and relevant to the specific role for which you’re applying as employers want concise information that sells your skills to them.
Education
In reverse chronological order (most recent first) you should list:
Any professional qualifications achieved or training courses attended, including any you’re currently studying
Your university, course & degree gained (if applicable)
Your secondary and further education including vocational qualifications, A-Levels, GCSEs and the grades you obtained
List any foreign languages
Additional Information
you know along with your proficiency at each as either Basic, Conversational or Fluent.
Any additional awards, skills or things you want to mention
Volunteer work or organisations you are involved in may go here.
Driving licence could also go here.
References
When you do secure an offer of employment from a business, they will want to speak with people who know you in a professional capacity and can vouch for your skills and experience as well as give an account of the kind of person you are.
These people are called referees and are usually previous employers, colleagues or teachers/lecturers. You can list these on your CV, if you wish.
Final Considerations
- Make your CV look professional: focus on clear, consistent formatting.
- Don't have unexplained gaps if you have been travelling or unemployed - include the details. Time out is often a good discussion point at interview.
- Be concise: your CV should ideally be about 2-3 pages.
- Short paragraphs and bullet points look neat and make the CV easy to read
- Ensure you add achievements to each role citing tangible benefits they bought to the role.
Common CV Mistakes
Once you’ve completed the first draft of your new CV, read through the below list and check you haven’t made any of these common CV mistakes. You’ll be glad you did!
- Writing “CV” or “Curriculum Vitae” at the top -This is a waste of space as the employer will understand the purpose of the document.
- Adding in details such as age, marital status, religion etc. - These are irrelevant to an employer and take up valuable space on your CV. All the employer needs to know is how suited your skills & experiences are you for the job.
- Only include information which is relevant to the job you’re applying for – the employer doesn’t want to know your life story!
- Typos! - Using your computer’s spelling and grammar checker is good practice, but also get a friend or relative to read the CV through as they'll be able to spot things a computer can’t.
- Don’t include a photo on your CV -This is irrelevant and some employers really don’t like it, and it takes up valuable space.
- Don’t put your salary information on your CV - A savvy recruiter will be able to estimate from your job title & responsibilities what salary bracket you fall into.
- Don’t stretch the truth - This will only serve to trip you up further down the job application process. For example, if you state your MS Excel skills are excellent when in truth, they're basic and you're presented with an Advanced Excel test at interview, you’re going to look pretty silly.
- Don’t try to use humour in your CV - What people may find funny in person generally doesn’t come across well on paper. While humour may make your CV stand out to a recruiter, they'll probably remember you for all the wrong reasons.
- Don’t include images/artwork on your CV - it again takes up valuable space, makes artwork harder to review, and messes with the ATS.
The challenge here is to retain an element of creativity to ‘stand out from the crowd’ whilst remembering the most important reason for a CV is to give details of your skills and experience, don’t lose the important information by trying to be too creative.