Writing your CV

Your CV is the first impression a potential employer will get of you and they often use it to decide whether or not they will interview you for a role. This makes it a very important document to get right.

What your CV can do for you

Your CV may be one of hundreds of CVs that come into an office in response to a job advertisement. It’s also your main selling tool – to promote yourself, your skills and your achievements.

Your aim should be to put together a CV that will stand out from the rest and get you through to the next stage.

A useful tip is to think about your CV from the recruiting company’s point of view. What are they looking for? Who would be the ideal person for the job they’re advertising? Carrying out as much research as you can about the company and the job you’re applying for will make it much easier to present yourself as the answer to their needs.

Guide to a good CV

• Keep your CV short, easy to read and straightforward, ensuring you write your CV with the reader in mind.

• Try to keep the CV to a maximum of two pages of A4.

• Be relevant, truthful, factual and clear.

• Check your grammar and make sure you haven’t made any spelling mistakes.

• Think carefully about the layout and include:

• name and contact details – including a daytime phone number

• profile – a brief description to summarise why you would be suitable for the job

• a brief description of your roles but focus more on the results you’ve achieved

• evidence of your achievements

• key skills

• career history – starting with your current position and working back

• professional qualifications – listing those achieved, with dates, and those you’re currently studying for

• education and training – including relevant dates, details of where you studied and your results.

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Useful tips

Language

• Use plain English and avoid jargon

• You don’t need to include ‘I’ or your name when writing about your achievements. For example don’t write ‘I exceeded my new business sales target of £100,000’ instead write ‘Exceeded new business sales target of £100,000’.
• Use numbers instead of words where appropriate, for example "Managed a team of 20" is easier and quicker to read than "Managed a team of twenty".

Layout

• Make your CV easy to read by using font sizes between 10 and 12 for standard body text.
• For headings, do not exceed font size 16 and use bold instead of underlining or upper case.

• Number the pages if there are two or more.
• Don’t cram details in or your CV will look cluttered – if you need another page use one.
• Make sure that the most important and relevant information (like your contact details and most recent career history) is on the first page.

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