How to write your CV
GUIDE TO WRITING A SUCCESSFUL CV
When you apply for a new position, your CV needs to convey an important first impression to your potential employer. He or she may be faced with hundreds of applications for one position, so you want yours to go straight into the pile destined for interview, not the one bound for waste paper!
Here are ten initial rules which you should follow when writing your CV:
- Simplicity: don’t overcomplicate a CV with too many categories or too much information.
- Be Concise: Employers will not be impressed by several pages of useless information. Keep it to two (maximum three) pages however do not squeeze information in – keep it well spaced & easy to read.
- Individual: use a style and tone which are personal to ‘you’, but do so subtly.
- Chronological: put the information in reverse chronological order with the most recent events first under each heading.
- Highlight achievements: make sure that your CV highlights all of your achievements in your career and personal life to date. You CV is an opportunity to market yourself, so make sure that you can show what you have done, how it was done and the result.
- Truthful: although you want to highlight your achievements, do not allow your CV to sound overly boastful. You shuld never fabricate information as this will become obvious to your employer at some point. Remember – whatever you say in your CV, you will need to be able to back up at interview, if you go through to this stage.
- Tailored: the content of your standard CV should be customised according to each individual job application in line with the job description.
- Presentation: you should complete your CV in a tidy format and on a word processor. Make sure you use a spell check, that you have checked the document over for any typing mistakes or formatting errors. You should avoid poor English or slang.
- Quality: use good quality (not coloured) A4 paper and always choose an appropriate type font, to ensure that your CV looks as neat and professional as possible.
- Review: ask the opinion of a respected colleague or manager. Get a second pair of eyes to critically review what you have written. Make sure you keep your CV updated regularly with new jobs and skills.
FORMATTING YOUR CV
Once you have followed the rules above you should also adhere to the following format:
- Personal Details: This section should include your name and contact details only. Do not offer details of your date of birth and marital status, which could lead to discrimination.
- Personal Profile: The inclusion of a “personal profile” is not mandatory, however offer the client a snapshot into you and what you can offer them. If you do decide to include this section, keep it to one or two sentences which provide a concise insight into who you are, what you can offer, and your strengths/achievements to date.
- Skills: This section can come before or after the “Work History” section of your CV. It should include languages and computing skills, noting level of fluency and evidence of using them.
- Work History: Start with your most recent role. Try not to leave any gaps – although you may not have been in paid employment, it is likely that you were doing something at the time which you learned new skills from. For each previous position, include the job title, organisation worked for, dates employed, projects involved in, responsibilities, achievements and experience gained.
- Education: Again, start with the most recent (or most relevant) e.g. university and then work back from there. You may wish to include membership of any professional bodies here or in a separate section.
- Hobbies/Interests: This section should be kept updated.
- References: Some people wish to include two references here. Try to pick two reliable contacts from two different sources. Alternatively, you may state that “references are available on request”.
COVERING LETTER:
The covering letter is your first chance to reach a prospective employer and “wow” them. Although the recruitment process is now largely electronically based, nothing has really changed and you should still use the covering letter as a chance to write a few words geared to entice the reader to take a further / detailed look at your CV.
The format to be followed when writing your covering letter is below:
- Always address the reader as “Dear Mr Smith” rather than over familiarising yourself by writing “Dear Bob”, since this may portray an unprofessional attitude.
- Clearly state your intention to apply for a specific position (including reference number if appropriate) or type of position.
- Define your experience/suitability for the role in one to two sentances – your covering letter is meant to be punchy and a “snap-shot” to entice the reader to look at your CV in more detail.
- The focus should be on how you meet the employer's needs and you should give perhaps one example of why you’re the person they are looking for and point them to the relevant part of your CV which displays this.
- Be as concise and as punchy as possible. The “reader” will may have many applications to view with limited time to trawl through an overly long letter.
- Tailor your covering letter to the role(s) you are applying.
- Make sure your contact details are on your covering letter and your CV.
- Don’t be afraid to follow up once you have sent in your CV and covering letter to ensure it has been received