Struggling with your CV? These tips will help you write the perfect CV
Thursday, December 2nd, 2010In short, your curriculum vitae, or, as most people refer to it, “CV”, or resume is a summarised expression of you. Translating from “course of life” in Latin, the CV shows your professional and, at times, personal achievements; as a result, when a potential employer looks at your CV, he or she should be able to get a definite idea of your qualifications and experiences before they meet you.
CV’s have a range of legitimate purposes, but they are predominately used to gain employment. Thus, when a job posting is displayed, potential employees submit their CV’s to be examined by the employer. Naturally, the employer receiving this influx of informative documents must be able to sift through them quickly and efficiently. This makes having a well written, structured and easy to read CV of vital importance.
There is no specific way that a CV must be constructed, although there are a few main points which your CV must include; contact details, personal information, academic and professional history, your skills relevant to the job, interests and references. When sending off a CV it is important that you include a covering letter; this sits alongside the CV. A cover letter allows you to introduce yourself to your prospective employer, explain your background and level of expertise and highlight your strengths and enthusiasm. Make sure your letter says more than simply that your CV is enclosed.
The Do’s and Dont’s that we at notgoingotouni.co.uk advise when writing your CV are:
DO keep it short and clear- The most important information, such as your key skills and recent experience, needs to be near the top, where it can be seen straightaway. Your CV should normally be two pages in length; if you haven’t caught the recruiter’s interest by page two then they probably won’t read any further pages anyway.
DO ensure it looks good – Precise, eye catching presentation is also important if your CV is to differ from all the others. Make sure that it’s uncluttered, with key points simple to spot by including short sentence lengths and bullet points.
DO use chronological order- Put your employment history in date order, starting with the most recent first. Avoid leaving any gaps, so if you’ve had time out for some reason, do mention this and remember to put your qualifications in reverse order starting with the most recent.
DO include facts- List your job duties beneath each position. List your achievements, responsibilities and results. Talk about results – what difference did your presence make?
DO include a covering letter – Unless the advert shows that there is no need for a covering letter, always include one. This should show the two or three most relevant experiences from your CV that are related to the nature of the job being applied for. You should never send out a CV on its own.
DON’T lie- If you exaggerate information about your level of experience or the skills that you have and your employer finds out, you could face the sack.
DON’T list lots of details about your hobbies, unless they’re related to the job or show a quality for the job, such as the ability to work in a team and on an individual basis.
DON’T forget to place your correct contact details in a prominent place. You wouldn’t want to miss out on an opportunity because an employer wasn’t able to get in touch.
Notgoingtouni.co.uk helps young adults with their future by showing jobs and training that exist apart from university. There are a number of student CV tips and apprenticeships available in addition to free career guides and in excess of 300 videos on distance learning, foundation degrees, gap years, voluntary work and advice on getting a sponsored degree.. This article, Struggling with your CV? These tips will help you write the perfect CV is released under a creative commons attribution license.