Job of the week
The is currently no 'Job of the Week'
The is currently no 'Job of the Week'
Career Coaching
CV - you on paper
Your CV aims to make an employer sit up & listen. They will need to be convinced very quickly that you have the necessary skills, experience and enthusiasm to do the job. Research shows that managers spend under two minutes reading a CV, and sometimes only thirty seconds. So how do you ensure that your message is understood quickly?
Content
Some CV’s are nothing more than a list of jobs and their duties. An employer wants to know what you achieved in previous job, so make sure you put down something measurable wherever possible: how did you add value? What specifically did you achieve? Always be honest about what you’ve done, make sure you keep all training or qualifications up to date. One training course could make all the difference.
Structure
Personal details:
Firstly, of course, give your name, address, contact phone & e-mail address. Include your age and nationality. Next you should put together a short personal summary – just a few lines about your skills, experience and what you aim to achieve. This will help build a picture of you in the reader’s mind.
Career History:
Starting with your current role, list your jobs in reverse order by date. State your job title, the employer’s name & location (city or town is usually enough), and then a description of the role. In this description, try to emphasise experience relevant to the role you’re applying for. Include any particular achievements too. The further back you go, you should include less information, unless it’s of particular relevance to the role you’re applying for.
Don’t leave any gaps in your career history – always be honest about what you’ve been doing. Also, don’t include the reason for leaving any role, as this will likely be discussed at interview.
Qualifications & Education:
As with your career history, start with the most recent and work back. State the university, college or school, along with the qualifications achieved. If you’re currently in education, try and include any work experience or voluntary work that may be relevant to the application.
Interests:
If you can demonstrate that something you do in your spare time would help at work then of course do mention this. As ever, don’t state something which you can’t back up at interview.
Presentation and Layout:
As already outlined above, a manager will see many CV’s, so making your CV professional and easy to follow will help. The key things to remember are:
CV - you on paper
Your CV aims to make an employer sit up & listen. They will need to be convinced very quickly that you have the necessary skills, experience and enthusiasm to do the job. Research shows that managers spend under two minutes reading a CV, and sometimes only thirty seconds. So how do you ensure that your message is understood quickly?
Content
Some CV’s are nothing more than a list of jobs and their duties. An employer wants to know what you achieved in previous job, so make sure you put down something measurable wherever possible: how did you add value? What specifically did you achieve? Always be honest about what you’ve done, make sure you keep all training or qualifications up to date. One training course could make all the difference.
Structure
Personal details:
Firstly, of course, give your name, address, contact phone & e-mail address. Include your age and nationality. Next you should put together a short personal summary – just a few lines about your skills, experience and what you aim to achieve. This will help build a picture of you in the reader’s mind.
Career History:
Starting with your current role, list your jobs in reverse order by date. State your job title, the employer’s name & location (city or town is usually enough), and then a description of the role. In this description, try to emphasise experience relevant to the role you’re applying for. Include any particular achievements too. The further back you go, you should include less information, unless it’s of particular relevance to the role you’re applying for.
Don’t leave any gaps in your career history – always be honest about what you’ve been doing. Also, don’t include the reason for leaving any role, as this will likely be discussed at interview.
Qualifications & Education:
As with your career history, start with the most recent and work back. State the university, college or school, along with the qualifications achieved. If you’re currently in education, try and include any work experience or voluntary work that may be relevant to the application.
Interests:
If you can demonstrate that something you do in your spare time would help at work then of course do mention this. As ever, don’t state something which you can’t back up at interview.
Presentation and Layout:
As already outlined above, a manager will see many CV’s, so making your CV professional and easy to follow will help. The key things to remember are:
- 2 pages is the ideal length
- Include the headings of each section – ‘Career history’ and so on.
- Use a standard font – they’re easier to read and don’t look like a gimmick.
- Print the CV on good quality, white paper. Always take a copy with you to the interview.
- Keep the sentences short and to the point – get your message across.
- Use ‘active’ words like created, devised, relished. These portray you as a proactive person.
- Make sure your spelling and grammar is perfect – and do not rely on a PC’s spellchecker. Get at least two other people to read the CV and hear what they have to say.