A good CV is the Key to obtaining an interview.

A well-written and presented CV is vital in securing you an interview for the job you are after. A CV will not get you a job but it can get you an interview. If you start with the assumption that any future employers or recruitment agencies will be looking at a score of CVs then you need to ensure that yours sticks out from the crowd, if you are to ensure securing an interview. Therefore your CV should provide a brief outline of your education, employment, qualifications, experience and interests.

Your CV should not be a generic comprehensive listing of every single fact about yourself. It should be targeted to a particular type of job or type of employer, stressing the facts that are most relevant to the job you want. If you intend to apply for completely different types of job, you will need to develop more than one CV, each with its own emphasis.

In order to successfully target your CV it is essential to know exactly what skills, experience and personal qualities the employer is looking for. If this information has not been provided on the advert or on a person specification you will need to undertake some research to ensure that your CV has the right focus.

Getting Started

There are many different ways to write an effective CV, so don't feel you have to create it in one particular style. Experiment until you are happy that your CV gives the relevant details in a clear and persuasive way.

Tips on content

  • Use positive language and adopt a confident tone.
  • As well as listing facts, consider adding some comments and interpretation. For example, in the section on work experience you could add a few lines at the end saying what skills you acquired from your various jobs. This could take the form of a short paragraph or, you could use short phrases - each on a separate line and introduced by an asterisk or a 'bullet point'.
  • Think about ways that you can make your CV stand out. Avoid bland and overused statements. Instead of "as course rep for my year I developed good communication skills when liasing with academics", try, "as course representative I was required to attend regular meetings with academics to present students' views. I gained confidence in presenting ideas orally, learnt how meetings work and enjoyed participating in the many debates."
  • Your most relevant experience/skills should be the most prominent, i.e. on the first page. This will encourage the employer to read on.
  • The amount of space you devote to a topic indicates the weight you want the employer to give to it. Use more space if the topic is important. For example, don't take a separate line for each of your GCSEs and then take only a couple of lines for your degree.
  • Take care with dates. Make sure every year is accounted for. Employers may think you are hiding something if they see too many gaps.
  • You will probably need two pages to give enough information to capture an employer's attention. Don't use any more than that. Use two separate sheets of paper rather than one sheet printed on both sides. Put your name at the top of the second sheet in case the two become separated.

Tips on layout

  • Your CV should look neat and tidy with all the information easy to find. Use headings such as EDUCATION to make it easy for the employer to find the information they are looking for. Most employers will expect a CV to be laid out in a conventional way, but others (particularly those in creative areas of work) might like one that looks more unusual.
  • When using a word processor, use CAPITALS and bold print to separate out different sections. Bold print and italics can be useful for highlighting important points. Underlining is probably best avoided as it can give the CV a rather old fashioned look. Don't go overboard with special effects: use them sparingly.
  • Use the tab key (rather than the space bar) to indent information to create a neat effect. Placing the dates on the left hand side, with the rest of the information 'tabbed' in an inch or so, is often an effective way of setting the information out neatly and makes the details easy to pick out.
  • Use a good quality paper and a printer that produces a clean output. White paper is usually best. Sometimes light shades of other colours can be attractive, but avoid bold or fluorescent colours.

Finally

  • Compare your CV with a job description for the work you're applying for. Have you shown you have developed the skills the job needs?
  • Remember that a CV should give evidence, from what you have done in the past, that you have the skills to carry out the job to which your CV is targeted.
  • Give your CV a final check.
  • Is it neat and tidy, and pleasant to look at?
    Is it clear and logical, so that the information is easy to find?
  • Get a friend to look at your CV and give you a second opinion. Speak to your Key Personnel consultant who may be able to suggest improvements.
  • Remember that your CV will need a covering letter, to introduce yourself and summarise the main points that you hope will attract the employer. See the Key Personnel guide on Covering Letters for further advice.

Main Sections in a CV

Your CV should consist of the following six sections:

1) Personal details

Usually consists of your:

  • Name
  • Address (with dates if more than one)
  • Telephone number (and e-mail address)
  • Date of birth
  • Nationality

2) Education

List:

  • Details of your university education / tertiary education.
  • A-levels and GCSEs (or equivalent) with grades.

If the work you are applying for will make direct use of your subject, give full details about your degree - for example, an overview of the degree as a whole, a list of courses you took or a description of a final year project or other important feature.

However, if you are applying for work where your subject is not relevant, you do not need to go into so much detail. Instead, you could concentrate on the general skills you have acquired - for example computing skills, working on a team project, coping with a high work load, having to argue a case in class and so on.

3) Work experience

There are various ways you could list the jobs you have done:

  • Reverse date order (the most recent first).
  • To save repetition you could divide your work experience into categories e.g. "relevant" and "other" or "paid", "voluntary" etc.
  • You could group similar jobs together, even if they happened at different times, summarizing the skills you gained.

Employers are often interested in all of the work experience you have had, particularly if it shows you have general qualities which they value - such as the ability to work in a team, lead a team, be in charge of a project, meet deadlines, work under pressure, take responsibility, etc.

Consider mentioning exactly what it was about the jobs you did which developed skills such as these, and don't just simply list the tasks you did in your different jobs.

4) Skills

Employers are often interested in specific skills you have acquired, such as:

  • Foreign languages
  • Computing languages or packages
  • Keyboard skills
  • Driving ability

Try to give specific details, for example about your level of proficiency in foreign languages, degree of familiarity with computer packages, and so on.

5) Interests and activities

Include:

  • Hobbies and other leisure activities e.g. sports, music, cultural activities
  • Music, drama and other cultural activities
  • Membership of clubs and societies
  • Positions of responsibility
  • Travel

Don't just list your interests, show how they developed qualities the employer will value.

Leisure activities, particularly organised ones where you took a major part, can develop the same general qualities as work experience. Employers often look at extra-curricular activities in order to find evidence of the personal qualities they seek, particularly when they are assessing new graduates who have not usually had the opportunity to develop these qualities in a work environment. Mention the level of achievement you have reached and specific things you have done, in order to indicate your commitment.

6) Referees

For preference, choose people who can comment on different aspects of you. Two referees are usually enough. Only give three if there is another person whose opinion you feel the employer really needs to hear. Seek your referees' permission first. Give them a copy of your CV and covering letter and an indication of the sort of work you are applying for. This will help your referee to judge the sort of comments, which will interest an employer and hopefully portray you in the best light!