How to write your CV

When writing your CV, remember this is the first impression you will give your potential employer. A strong CV can often help secure the job role. If the CV is poor, this will not only give the employer a bad impression, it may also prevent you from having at least; an interview.

Structuring your CV

Personal Information

Start the CV with your basic personal details:

Education and Professional Qualifications

After the personal information, it is recommended to state your Educational and Professional Qualifications. Within this information you will need to include dates, names, titles and GPA plus any other certificates you have gained - in reverse order.  Include details regarding any computer skills, foreign languages, or training courses you have completed. Try to keep this information relevant to the position you are applying for.

Career History

When listing your career history, make sure to order it chronologically. This is the most widely accepted style for a CV.  For each position, you must list achievements you made, and responsibilities within each role.  Be more descriptive with your most recent positions.

Interests and reference

This section should always near the end, and must be kept short. Under the references heading, you can simply write “references available upon request”, alternatively, you can list them.

Along with your cover letter, this should provide the employer with a good first impression and should help get you to the interview stage!

Formatting

Check over the CV and check the format, make sure all the headings are bold and the sections are equally spaced. It is recommended to use a font no smaller than 10pt and no larger than 12pt. The font style should be basic and readable; for example Arial. Do not over style your CV – borders are not necessary!

Finally

The CV should be printed on high quality white or cream paper (laser printing is recommended for best results) If you are sending your CV by email, send a copy to yourself first to make sure you receive it in the correct format.

Extra tips:

You do not have to include your reason for leaving each job on your CV, but be prepared if you are asked in an interview

Before sending your CV, ask a friend to proof read it for you – check grammar and spellings

Ensure have tailored the CV for the position you are applying for

Keep it short – a CV should be no longer than 2-3 pages unless you have a long career history