Writing a CV – general tips
A CV, Curriculum Vitae or a resume, is a summary of your career history, and the skills and experience you have gained so far.
A good CV should:
- Attract attention
- Create a good impression
- Present your relevant skills and qualities clearly and concisely
The aim of the CV
The purpose of the CV is to show a prospective employer that you have the necessary qualities and qualifications to do the job you are applying for. Its aim is to get you an interview with that employer, so it needs to demonstrate clearly that you have:
- The specific skills needed for the job
- The right sort of experience for the job
- The personal qualities for this position
- An understanding of the requirements of the job
Keep it simple
The easier a CV is to read, the better. An advertised job vacancy will often attract hundreds of replies, and even the most conscientious employers have very little time to search through every CV that crosses their desk. The best way to make sure yours gets read is to:
- Keep it short. No more than two A4 pages.
- Keep it clear. Make it easy to read. A CV should always be typewritten, and well laid out with clear margins, clear section headings, and the information organised in a logical, easy to follow way.
- Keep it relevant. The employer usually has two main questions in mind when looking at an employee or potential employee:
Create an impression
As well as keeping your CV short, clear and relevant, make it look business-like and professional too.
Use:
- Plain, white or cream A4 paper
- Good quality paper – 100 gsm weight
- Plain black ink
- A good, clear typeface
Avoid:
- Gimmicks
- Sending photocopies (unless they are very good quality)
- Spelling and grammatical mistakes
- Alterations and amendments
What to Include
If you are answering an advertised vacancy, or if you have a comprehensive job description, make use of it. Identify what is needed and use your CV to show how you match this.
- Your skills and experience, qualifications, knowledge and capabilities – Concentrate on your skills, experience and qualifications that are relevant for the job.
- Your achievements - A CV is not the place for false modesty: achievements need to be spelled out clearly. Employers rarely have time to search out information, and should be able to see at a glance exactly what you can offer them.
- Put the most important information on the first page - If your CV runs into two pages, make sure the first page is the most interesting and highlights your key points.
Should I put it in or leave it out?
There are two basic questions to ask yourself when considering whether or not to put an item into your CV:
- Will it encourage them to interview me?
- Will it discourage them from interviewing me?
If the answer to the first question is an emphatic yes, put it in. If however, you feel less certain, think carefully about including it. Could the space be used more effectively to expand on something more important? If you answer yes to the second question, leave it out.
What to leave out
- Jargon and long explanations - Stick to plain language and clear statements.
- Unnecessary personal details - The less irrelevant information there is on a page the more clearly your achievements stand out. Unless you feel they are relevant, you can quite safely leave out the following:
- Marital status
- Maiden name
- Number of children
- Ages of children
- Nationality
- Gender
- Partner’s occupation
- Religious affiliation
- Political affiliation
- Age (in addition to date of birth)
- Previous salary
- Reason for leaving last job
- Photographs
- Negative information - While it is unwise to lie in your CV, you do not have to include information that will diminish your chance of an interview – as long as it does not affect your ability to do the job. Always put things in the most positive way that you can.
- Out-of-date and irrelevant information - Things that have happened more than ten years ago are of very little interest unless they have a direct bearing on your present capabilities. What you are doing currently is much more relevant.
- References - If references are required, they will be taken up later. There is no need to put the names and addresses of referees on your CV.
CV Layout
The layout of your CV, the way it is actually arranged on the page, is important. Include:
- wide margins
- clear spacing
- discreetly used capital letters, italics, and underlining to emphasise information.
- short, clearly headed, easy to read sections
Checklist
Your finished CV should:
- be easy to read
- be attractive
- present your skills and achievements clearly
- encourage the reader to want to interview you.
When you have written your CV, check the following points:
- Is the layout clear?
- Is it well-presented, smart and professional looking?
- Do the relevant points stand out?
- Is the language clear and understandable?
- Are your skills and achievements emphasised?
- Can the employer see the key points at a glance, or does the information have to be searched for and guessed at?
- Is it free of irrelevant details?
- Is it free of qualifying words such as fairly, usually, hopefully?
- Does a positive picture of you emerge?
Finally
When you send your CV, remember the following:
- Always try to send your CV to a named individual within the company. If you don’t know the name of the person to send it to, ring up and find out.
- Include a specially written short covering letter that draws attention to how your CV matches the requirements of that job. The letter should be as well presented as your CV and typed on the same good quality A4 paper.
- Send your CV and covering letter unfolded in a white or cream A4 size envelope.
- If there is a closing date, make sure your application is sent off in good time. Applications received after the deadline are rarely, if ever, considered.
