Most employers will request your CV in the first instance,
perhaps with a covering letter. A good CV will help you
market yourself to prospective employers giving you a
better chance of getting an interview.
| Preparation |
Think about your career to date
and make a list of the following:
|
- Work experience (commercial and
voluntary sector).
- Skills and competencies.
- Strengths and selling points.
- Target your CV. Adapt the content
of your CV according to the job you are applying
for. When responding to an advertised vacancy,
use the clues contained within the advertisement
and include similar key words in your CV.
|
| CV Content |
| Your CV must tempt the employer to want to find
out more about you so it must be: |
- Logically presented.
- Easy to read.
- Concise and relevant to the vacancy
in question.
- Contain brief factual evidence to
support any claims you make.
- No longer than 2-3 pages.
- Truthful – do not make claims
that you cannot substantiate.
|
| CV Format |
| Be consistent in the presentation of your CV, particularly: |
- Headings
- Typeface
- Layout
- Grammar and spelling
- Page numbering
|
| Page One |
| – should contain the following
personal details: |
- Name
- Address
- Telephone Number(s)
- Email address
- Education
- Qualifications – where, when
and standard achieved.
- Membership of any Professional
or Industry bodies.
- Brief overview of your skills, experience
and what work you are looking for.
|
| Pages Two/Three |
| - the
main focus should be your employment history. You
should: |
- Present your CV in reverse chronological
order, ie last job first.
- Give specific dates of employment,
name of employer/industry/location and your job
role.
- Fill in any gaps between employment.
- If you have worked for only one
employer you need to show progression within the
company by putting in a separate entry for each
position and describe your work and responsibilities.
- Include achievements and provide
supporting evidence if possible, eg increase in
sales or production. You can use action words such
as achieved, set up, implemented, directed and
organised to give more information about your role.
- Include experience gained within
the voluntary/charitable sector.
- Provide a brief description of
hobbies only if they are relevant.
- Supply names, addresses and contact
information for 2 referees.
- Avoid repetition.
|
| CV Checks |
- Ask a friend or colleague to read
your CV and ask for their feedback.
- Check grammar and especially spelling.
- Keep your CV up-to-date and save
a copy on disk in a standard format.
|
