CV Advice

Your CV is your personal sales tool and passport to a new job. It is important to get it right as a prospective employer will initially judge you on it.

Content

There are no strict rules for writing your CV, but you should consider the following:

• Personal information - Name, address, email and telephone number
• Profile - A summary of your strengths and achievements
• Technical skill set - List your current skills in order of strongest skills first
• Career History - Put in reverse chronological order ie your current/most recent job first. A concise paragraph or bullet points of your responsibilities and achievements for each role will be enough.
• Education - Again, reverse chronological order with qualifications and grades
• Professional Training Courses - A list with qualifications gained
• Hobbies and Interests - This is optional and should be kept to just two or three lines
• References - Just put "Available on request"

Writing your CV

• Make your CV as clear and simple as possible - keep it brief and to the point
• Keep your CV to no more than 2 pages if possible
• If there are any gaps in your CV between jobs it is best to explain these
• If some of your roles were temporary or contract roles, you should state this
• Use active verbs such as managed, developed, created, coordinated to describe your skills and achievements
• Make sure your presentation is business like and easy to read - no waffle
• Don't add your photograph or information about your family or children - it's not relevant
• Don't use fancy graphic images/type styles/symbols (unless you're applying for a graphics role)
• Make sure you are honest about your skills and qualifications - you will be found out at reference stage!
• It can be useful to adjust your CV when applying for different jobs - you can highlight the skills and experience that would be most relevant to the role and this can improve your changes of success.
• It is essential to spell check and proof read!