Writing
a CV
(What to include)
Name/Contact
Details: Your permanent address, telephone number and e-mail
address if you have one. CV’s may be kept on file with
a company for up to 12 months and they may want to get in touch
with you in the future.
Personal
Details: Personal details can be placed at the beginning
or end of the document. If you have a home page/website then
include this here.
Education:
Give places of education where you have studied - most recent
education first. Include subject options taken in each year
of your course. Include grades, any higher education courses.
If you are still at college/university or are doing any kind
of course relevant to the job then state what you are doing,
when you will be finished etc..
Work
Experience: Last position first (dates), including your
title/position and company name. Detail your responsibilities
and achievements. Include any voluntary work and work placements
you did at school.
Additional
Skills: Regional Studies, Project, Analytical. If you have
specific computer, foreign language, typing, or other technical
skills, consider highlighting them by giving them their own
category— even if they don’t relate directly to the
occupation you’re pursuing.
Personal
Interests: Limit this information but look at what it is
saying about you (solitary individual or team player). Don`t
go in to hobbies that have no interest to the position unless
you have wrote articles and had them published, have been a
captain of some kind of sport.
Referees:
Only include - 3 maximum. Ensure at least one is an existing
or a previous manager - provide details on company division,
job title & telephone/e-mail contact details.
Selecting
a CV format
Chronological: Work history in chronological date order
(last position first). It shows no gaps or changes in career
and is useful for a continuous work history which is related
to your next job opportunity.
Functional:
Highlights certain skills, achievements and responsibilities
rather than chronological listing work history. Good for career
changing, periods of unemployment, redundancy or general gaps
in work history such as illness. Also useful for repetitious
job titles.
Targeted:
A one off CV targeted for a specific job or vacancy. It focuses
on what you can do and your potential. Unlike chronological
or targeted which focus on past work, it can be useful for a
specific position
The
length of your CV
A long CV is difficult for a recruiter to digest and retain;
and, given the volume of CVs many recruiters receive, long CVs
are often ignored. Although rules about length are more flexible
than they once were, general guidelines still exist.
If you are a student use a one page CV
other workers use one or two pages,
and the very experienced use three-four pages. If your CV doesn’t
match this pattern, it probably contains unnecessary words or
irrelevant information. Eliminate anything that does not help
prove you’re qualified for the job.
Presentation
Use plain English don`t try and impress with big words that
will just use up valuable space
Use
good quality paper: Your CV maybe forwarded to another office
or department so do not use very thick paper as it can jam faxes
or photocopiers.
Where
possible, use a good quality printer and print on one side of
the paper only
Avoid
long sentences
Overall
appearance: a CV should be visually pleasing and easy to read
- bold headings, use indentations and bullets where applicable.
Avoid excessive use of capital letters, underlining, bold or
italics. Avoid lots of white space - or very wide margins.
