CV WRITING TIPS

Writing your CV is often one of the most difficult aspects of the job hunting process. It requires you to condense your career history into one or two pages of text. The following guide lines should help make the task easier.

A CV should provide a comprehensive listing of your qualifications, work experience, skills and interests. A poor CV can be highly damaging to your chances of landing the job. You need to write the CV with the intention of creating interest, to make yourself stand out from all the other CV’s that an organisation may receive.

There is no definite format that must be followed, most variations include the following main sections;

Personal Details

Full name, address, email address and telephone number (mobile if possible). Date of birth and nationality are optional details but if you are a foreign national you would need to state if you have the necessary work permit/visa. You may wish to include gender (particularly if your have an unusual or unisex name).

Education

Give details of schools, colleges and universities attended with the most recent first. Give dates attended, qualifications attained, subjects and level of achievement and any professional memberships.

Work Experience

You should start with your current or most recent job and work backwards. Include dates and job titles, employers names and locations, duties and responsibilities, achievements/promotion details and types and values of projects.

Write about your jobs in the present tense, i.e. "managing, designing", rather than "managed, designed". This will help your CV have more impact. Avoid using "I" at the beginning of each section.

Interests and Activities

What do you like doing in your spare time? Elaborate rather than give a bald list. Emphasise the things that you do regularly and are able to back up with examples. However, do not omit activities you do occasionally on a social level or to keep fit – but say so to keep them in context.

Don’t forget to be specific about your achievements. If you don’t blow your own trumpet no one else will.

Other Skills

Add any other skills i.e. driving licence, keyboard skills, foreign language and software.

Career Aims

Some people like to outline career aims on their CV. This is fine if you are responding to a specific well defined job advertisement. Otherwise your career aims may have to change depending in the type of employer you approach.

Referees

Check they are willing to act on your behalf and use the opportunity to remind them of your aims, skills and interests. Two referees are usually sufficient, normally you’re most recent employer.

N.B if you need more room for more important information leave them out – but indicate that you would be happy to "provide a reference on request".

OTHER POINTS TO CONSIDER

Think about the Recruiter!

Remember that an employer will, at most, devote two minutes to an initial reading and wants to find important information easily, so format, layout, conciseness and appearance are all vital. We suggest; layout over two pages with your master copy produced on good quality paper using a laser printer.
Do not include pages and pages of certificates and references or a hand written CV.

Try to avoid half pages – these suggest you have nothing more to convey and minimise your chances

Never submit a long letter of application with your CV, keep it short and sweet and tailored to the job that you are applying for.

Use a clear type face such as Arial, Verdana, Tahoma or Times New Roman. Use a little colour if your CV will be seen on a computer screen or printed in colour – but don’t go mad.

Don’t waste your money on fancy folders or binders as these will be removed as soon as your CV is taken to a photocopier and unlikely to be replaced.

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"CV Writing Tips"

© Written by K Gardner - Office Personnel