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MAKE YOUR CV STAND OUT
To ensure you have the best chance of getting your ideal job, your CV needs to stand out. Remember that your CV has only one function: to secure you a job. You should forget graphics and gimmicks; instead, opt for clean, white paper and easy to read presentation. Three pages should be the absolute maximum, two is ideal.
Below is a suggested format for setting out your CV:
PERSONAL INFORMATION
It is very important to sell yourself on the first page. Highlight your achievements and responsibilities in bullet points. Make it easy to read, or no one will look at it. Make sure the prospective employer sees the value you can bring to the position.
Do NOT include a title page, this is a waste of space. Most importantly you should:
- Include your full address, particularly in large cities where it may take some time to travel to and from work
- Make sure you state the details of any relevant work visa (together with expiry dates as appropriate) and of course your contact details, home phone, mobile and email
EDUCATION
Include brief details of your education; state the level and the year of any degrees you have obtained. If you did not go to University you may wish to include your AS/A Level results. Do not include University transcripts.
COMPUTER SKILLS
This is very important, but only include scores and results if you have recently been tested.
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
If you have room you can talk about your most recent role on the front page, but only if it all fits in. Otherwise start your Employment History on the second page. If you need to fill in a space on the front page, you could put your Education Details on this page.
There is no set time frame that you need to cover for your employment history, but the following points should be included:
- As a guide cover the last five years of your employment history, prior to this only provide details of any positions that are relevant to the type of work you are applying for
- Lay your work history out in chronological order from your most recent position backwards
- Cover any gaps in employment and the reasons for these gaps, for example periods when you have been travelling or studying
- Include the name of the company you worked for, the position you held, the dates you were employed from and to (month and year, NOT just the years), and brief details of your responsibilities
- Use a variety of font sizes; one for headings and one for the main body of the text
- Bold words to make important words stand out and to make your employment information easy to read
Avoid giving too much detail of your positions; long-winded explanations of what your day-to-day tasks were may lose the readers interest.
REFEREES
Here you can either list details of your referees or you can simply put – “Details available on request”. If you are going to put name and contact details of your referees, ensure that you include address, phone, fax and email address.
PERSONAL INTERESTS
Under personal interests include anything relevant to the application or culture of the company. For example charity or volunteer work and sporting achievements may be relevant to some companies. Keep this section short and to the point though.
PERSONAL SUMMARY
If you are going to include a personal statement or your objectives avoid using too many generic adjectives; everyone perceives themselves to be self-motivated, proactive and a team player, so include some skills and characteristics that are more unique to you. If you do include this section it can be on the front page or at the end, it is your choice.
Finally, ensure that you up-date your CV regularly.
CV CHECKLIST
- 3 pages maximum
- No graphics/gimmicks
- Cover all gaps in employment
- State month and year that you started and finished each role
- Keep education brief
- Use different fonts and sizes to make things stand out
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