Sian McCabe, 22 August 2008
A CV is much more than your work history, it creates an image of you for the recruiter. Everything you include causes a potential employer to make assumptions about you which can either detract from, or add to your chances of getting the job.
When you are writing a CV, you are communicating with someone you have probably never met. It is important to try and make this first impression count.
Here are our top tips for writing a winning CV:
Keep it simple, uncluttered and in an easy-to-read font; your CV should be straightforward and structured.
Keep it free from unnecessary details such as hobbies and interests; they are likely to be irrelevant to the job.
Keep it free from spelling and grammatical errors; maybe ask someone to proof read it.
Your Curriculum Vitae should include:
Education details- state your most recent qualifications and briefly cover older, less relevant ones.
Key skills or areas of expertise- this could include IT skills or languages.
Work experience- state the most recent first and then go backwards, unless you are using a functional CV.
Extra-curricular activities- if they are relevant to the job you are applying for.
And remember:
Check your personal details – it may sound obvious but mistakes are easily made (wrong phone number etc.)
Avoid folding your CV- if you are sending your CV by post, ensure you use an A4 envelope as by the time it gets to the destination it could look a mess.
Take your email address into consideration- you can obtain a free email account from yahoo or hotmail with an appropriate address to present a professional reflection of you. Also it would be a good idea to keep your job application emails separate to personal mail.
Always keep your CV up to date- through the course of a year at work, you will experience new things. Writing a CV is always easier when you are adding to an existing CV rather than starting from scratch.