Building Your CV
A good CV should be specific to the position applied for and accurately represent you and your skills. Having analysed the position that you are applying for, you will need to adjust your CV to highlight the most relevant facts first.
Your CV should include the following: –
- Profile (short summary about you as an individual, ideally this should be applicable to the position).
- Personal (DOB, driving licences/marital status etc) & Contact Information.
- Education & Qualifications.
- Work experience including dates and job titles starting with the most recent role.
- Additional training courses attended – computer skills etc.
- Hobbies and Interests.
- References (references available on request is fine).
Do: –
- Use bullet points if possible.
- Make sure that there are no gaps in your work history.
- Familiarise yourself with your CV so that you can highlight the examples you may have given.
- Keep statements short and precise.
- Use a basic typing font so that it is easy to read.
- Use spell check before sending your CV.
- Try to condense the CV into two pages.
Do not: –
- Put any information which isn’t accurate.
- Leave out relevant information in order to keep the number of pages to a minimum.
- Send hand written CV’s.
- Bind your CV.
- State anything that you can’t prove.
Once you have completed your CV double check the information given, or get someone to check it for you. Check that it is a true reflection of you as an individual and you have included all the relevant information for the position being applied for.
Careers Advice
A good CV should be specific to the position applied for and accurately represent you and your skills. Having analysed the position that you are applying for, you will need to adjust your CV to highlight the most relevant facts first. It should be a well-presented source of information about yourself.
Remember that you are trying to get interviews, so aim to impress! But be honest.