What should your CV look like?
Writing a CV can be stressful, especially if you’re starting from scratch. Although there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for the perfect CV, it should always be clearly formatted and short enough for a future employer or recruiter to scan quickly and most importantly tailored to the role you’re applying for.
Not sure where to start? Here are some basic rules on how to write a CV:
- Personal details: It’s quite surprising how often people forget to include their name, email address, phones numbers and address. Make sure these are clearly shown at the top of your CV.
- Personal Statement: This is the first thing a future employer/recruiter will see that tells them who you are. It’s so important to explain who you are, what you can offer and what you are looking for. This is your opportunity to say why you’re suitable but do this within one paragraph.
- Work Experience: This should include all your relevant work experience. List the most recent first, including job titles, the name of the organisations, dates you started and ended each position along with the key responsibilities that job entailed but in a bullet point
- Achievements: This is your opportunity to show how your previous experience has given you the skill set required to make you a suitable candidate for the job you have applied for. List your relevant skills, achievements and follow this up with examples. Make it clear but be concise how you would apply your skill set to this new role.
- Educations: Your educational experience/achievements should be listed here, along with dates, the type of qualification and/or the grade you achieved. If you have more educational achievements than work experience, placing an emphasis on this section is a good idea.
- Hobbies & Interests: This tells a future employer/recruiter who you are outside of work and this is another opportunity to make you stand out from the crowd. Having interests and hobbies are a good thing, so list them down but don’t add anything which is too controversial.
- Important information: When you have finalised, you’re CV, never think that it’s finished. Every job is different so tailor your CV accordingly as this is vital to stand out. Make sure you update it in-line with the job description that you are applying for, this way you’ll be able to ensure it matches the specifications required with the skill set that you possess.
