How to write a CV
Wherever you are in your career, if you're looking to change roles, having a polished
CV is vital.
Although there is no one-size-fits-all model for success, having a well-structured CV,
which can easily be tailored to the job you want next, will do wonders for your job search.
Many people will argue that your CV needs to stay within the strict confines of two
pages, but if you have a wealth of relevant skills and experience you want to highlight
which extends to three pages, then so be it.
So whether you're starting from scratch or just sitting down to update it, here are some
fundamental tips for getting your CV in order:
What should you include in your CV?
Contact and personal details
This is fairly obvious, but make sure your name, address, email and phone number are
clearly referenced at the top of the document. This is the first thing a recruiter will see,
so make sure it's presentable and easy to read.
It's unnecessary to include your date of birth or attach photos, but ensure your email address
is professional, and always try and include links to personal websites, online portfolios
and don't forget your LinkedIn profile.
Personal statement
This section needs to contain a punchy branding statement which is tailored to the role and
succinctly tells the employer exactly what you can bring to their company. Remember that
your personal statement is your chance to outline why you're worthy of consideration
and should make the reader want to read on. Study the job description
to work out precisely what skills you should highlight here and what the employer is looking for
There's no time for cliches or generic phrases, everything
you say should relate directly to your most relevant skills, experience and goals, and
the value you can bring to the role.
Remember there's no need to refer to yourself in third person and always highlight your
career achievements with an example, keeping in mind that mentioning measurable achievements
are what will stand out.
Key skills
Your Key Skills section is arguably the most important part of your CV to employers. This
brief section should list your key skills and offer examples of success and evidence
which supports them. Whatever skills you choose to highlight, make sure they fall within the
following three categories:
Transferable skills: These are skills you might have learnt from one field of work which
can be easily transferred to another. Common examples of these include leadership, organisation
and research and analysis.
Job-related skills: These should be directly relevant to the role you're applying for and
are much more specific and technical. For example, if you're pursuing a role in IT support,
a thorough knowledge of scripting and programming would be a suitable job-related skill.
And finally,
Adaptive skills: Practical or every-day soft skills which are needed to succeed in any
job. The can include communication skills, problem solving or an ability to work independently
Remember to format this section in way which is easy to digest. So you concise bullet points
rather than block paragraphs.
Employment History
Always list your most recent role first and ensure that information gets progressively
less detailed for older or less relevant roles. If you don't have much of a job history to
talk about, then be sure to outline details of any work placements you've had highlighting
your key responsibilities and achievements during your time there.
Include your job title, dates of employment and the company details, then use 3 or 4 bullet
points which outline your main responsibilities and how you achieved them.
Remember, the more specific you can be the better, so try and focus on facts and figures
which prove you have relevant experience.
Education and training
List any relevant qualifications and the date achieved. However, for the sake of keeping
the length down list how many grades between A-C you received rather than listing each
result individually. Remember, as your work experience grows, the less detail you'll need to include
about your basic academic achievements.
References
To save space you should outline that references are available on request. However, remember
to use your LinkedIn profile to showcase your strongest references and recommendations from
colleagues or managers.
Although most of us tend to only update our CV and LinkedIn profile prior to applying
for a new job, it is good practice to keep both updated with any new information to ensure
you never miss any key work achievements or successes.
Our final top tip is to really concentrate on refining your personal statement and your most recent
relevant achievements and don't forget to proof read before you send!