A CV details your skills, experience and achievements for potential employers. It summarises your strengths and shows why you are the right person for the role.
Even if the job you are interested in asks you to fill in an application form, it’s important to have your CV to hand. Other employers will want it, and it’s a good way for you to keep a record of your experience.
Employers get lots of CVs to look at so make sure yours is clear and easy to read. Keep it to one or two pages – anything longer is off putting.
- choose a clear font like Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman in size 11 or 12
- use the same style throughout
- check your contact details are correct. Basic but essential. Use a professional email address, not a casual or funny one
- headings and bullet points make it easier to read
- be clear and concise. Avoid lengthy sentences and flowery language
- get someone else to read it to double-check your spelling and grammar. Spell check alone won’t pick up the difference between there, their and they’re
- tailor your CV to the job you’re applying for. Look at the advert and job description. Can you show you have the skills they want?
Sections
Organise your CV into sections: contact details, personal statement, work, education and references.
Contact details
Give your name, phone number, email address and a link to a business network profile, if you have one, such as LinkedIn. Don’t include your age, date of birth or your nationality.
Personal statement
This is a few short lines summing who you are and what you hope to do. It should go just under your name and contact details. Introduce yourself and explain, briefly, why you are the right person for this particular job. Look at the advert and job description for key words and an idea what the employer wants – can you show, briefly, how you fit the requirements?
Education
If you’re early in your career or don’t have much work experience this goes after the personal statement. If you have been working for a while, put your jobs first, before education.
For education, start with your highest qualification. State the:
- names and grades of your qualifications
- name of the school, college or university where you studied
- dates you attended
Work
Detail any paid jobs, work placements and volunteer roles you’ve had. Put the most recent experience first.
Include:
- the employer’s name
- the job title
- the dates you worked there
- what you did, in two to three lines. You could use the STAR method to highlight your achievements.
Your employment history should cover up to ten years of your professional life. If your career is longer, just give job titles and dates for the earlier roles. Explain any gaps between jobs – state that you were travelling, or had caring responsibilities, or any other reason. You could briefly mention any skills you developed while outside paid work.
First job?
If you’re applying for your first job, you could have a section called skills and competencies instead of ‘Work’. Talk about the skills you’ve developed through projects, work experience or volunteering.
You can also include interests and hobbies. If you’re the captain of a sports team, for instance, this demonstrates leadership and organisation.
References
Employers expect references – someone senior who can talk about you and confirm the dates you’ve given. This could be your current or previous boss, a teacher or a leader at a place where you volunteered or did work experience.
Don’t put anyone else’s contact details on your CV. Instead, write ‘references are available on request’.