advice
on writing your cv
Most people do not know how to write a CV. Writing a professional
CV is a skill which these people have not learnt.
First impressions matter: if your CV does not attract and
hold the reader's attention in the first half minute, then
your chances of obtaining that job interview are greatly reduced.
An employer might have hundreds of CVs to consider and probably
only a couple of hours in which to make a selection.
Writing Tips
- CV should never be written in lower case,
such as cv or c.v.
- Write your CV in the first person.
- Do mention the things you are good at, but be careful
not to oversell yourself.
- Don't mention things that you are bad at or say negative
things about yourself.
- Be careful when you use abbreviations - they may be
misunderstood.
- Put your work experience at the start of your CV, not
your personal or educational details, unless you have
only just finished your education.
- What the employer really wants to know is why they should
consider you for an interview. Therefore, a short summary
of your capabilities and / or a list of your major achievements
can often be a good idea.
- If you are not happy with your CV, or are only getting
rejections, you might consider using a professional CV
writing service.
What You Should Leave Out
- Photographs
- Any sort of failure - businesses, marriages etc.
- Salary information, unless specifically requested -
this can only be used to reject your application.
- Fancy borders or design - this will detract from your
presentation.
Layout
The visual layout of your CV is of paramount importance.
If the employer cannot quickly find the information they
want, they will move on to the next CV. You should use plenty
of margin space and section breaks, and the appropriate
headings. Always create it on a word processor. Never use
a typewriter. And use good quality paper, preferably 100
gram for both your CV and your covering letter.
Length
It is best to try and keep your CV to two pages of A4, unless
you are asked for a longer CV. Employers do not want to
know your whole life story - just enough to decide whether
they should interview you or not.
Style
Avoid long wordy sentences and paragraphs. Keep sentences
short and relevant, and use bullet points to break up the
text under section headings.
Grammar and Spelling
Your grammar and spelling should be carefully checked for
errors. Errors in your CV can detract from an otherwise
good CV and make you look lazy or careless. As you might
probably be 'blind' to these errors, you should have someone
else check your CV for you.
Personal Details
Your full name, address, home telephone number, Email address
(if applicable), date of birth, nationality, marital status
(put only single or married down on your CV: if you are
divorced then put single; if you are separated then put
married)
Education and Qualifications
List your second and third level qualifications. List the
courses you have taken, including company courses and courses
you attended on your own initiative. Only list the important
courses - no one really cares if you went on a time management
course as everyone seems to get on these courses.
Work Experience
If you have been working for a number of years, you do not
really need to list any part time jobs, voluntary jobs or
unpaid work experience. Charity work could be included in
your Interests. However you might want to include these
jobs if they covered a period of unemployment, or a time
when you were not working for any other reason, or you feel
that some of the experience you gained will be useful in
the next job. You should normally concentrate on your two
most recent jobs. Start with your most recent job and work
backwards. For each position (treat internal promotion as
a new job, and record the dates separately) list your job
title (e.g. Manager, Supervisor etc.), the title of your
immediate boss (e.g. Manager, Director etc.) and when you
started and finished each job.
Give the name of the company and a brief description of
the service they provide.
Set out your main responsibilities, achievements, duties,
and skills you could transfer to another employer.
Include your level of responsibility - departmental budget,
staff etc. Include achievements in your position, such as
increases in sales/productivity and cost savings made. You
should try and include achievements such as meeting of deadlines,
budgets etc.
Interests / Hobbies
List your interests, hobbies and any sports you play. List
any positions of responsibility you hold or have held in
any club or organisation.
References
You do not normally need to list referees on a CV, but it
might be a good idea to think about who you could ask.
