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CV Hints & Tips

Your CV (curriculum vitae) creates the first impressions a prospective employer has of you. Writing a CV can be a controversial subject; if you ask any two people their idea of a perfect CV you will invariably get two totally different responses, we have therefore provided you with suggestions, examples and help to arm you with the best CV possible.

Aim of Your CV

Firstly, always remember that your CV is a sales and marketing tool. It is your advert that documents your experience and skills with the all-important objective of getting an interview. It has to:

  • Highlight the skills and experience that make you a suitable candidate for the job
  • Interest the reader enough to want to know more and therefore invite you for interview
  • But you must not overload your CV with too much information.

There are a few basic rules to follow that almost every personnel professional agrees on.

Your CV should be:

  • Well presented
  • Interesting
  • Quick and easy to read
  • Truthful (It is our advice that you should never be tempted to lie on a CV)

Your CV will continue to work as a sales and marketing tool even if you get an interview. It can direct the interviewer(s) towards your achievements and skills prior to, and during the interview. It is also very likely that the interviewer will make notes on your CV during the interview and reread your CV and their notes before deciding who to appoint. If your CV suitably highlights the skills and experience they are looking for it could help you move on to the second stage or even get the job.

Gaps in Chronology

Remember when writing your CV that missing months (or even years) may be viewed with suspicion by a potential employer. If you have taken a career break for any reason, for traveling or to bring up a family for example, then remember to include it.

Keeping Your CV up to Date

Through the course of a year, be it in study, recreation or employment, you will experience a variety of new things and acquire many new skills. It is much easier to take a little time to update your CV every month rather than trying to remember what training you did on one day eight months ago. Preparing you CV will always be easier if you are updating and tailoring an existing CV rather than starting from scratch!

Presentation

Presentation is one of the most important things to consider when writing a CV. Your CV needs to attract the reader's attention and make information quick and easy to find.

  • Always type your CV
  • Always use a word processor. Never use a typewriter as you will look old-fashioned and out of date
  • Use a clear font such as Arial, stick to 10-12pt
  • Stick to bright white paper
  • Use a good quality printer such as a laser printer
  • Use plenty of 'white space'
  • Keep paragraphs short
  • Make you sentences short and punchy
  • Use appropriate headings and section breaks
  • Use bold for headings - lots of underlining and italics can look distracting
  • Use bullet points to break up the text under headings

Length

Your CV should be a maximum of 2 pages of A4. A CV will only get about 2 minutes reading on a first trawl, you need your skills and experience to stand out and not get lost in a lot of waffle. The employer needs just enough information to decide whether to interview you or not.

Email Applications

Applying for a job by email is one of the fastest and most effective ways to send a CV. But there are a few things to bear in mind before you press 'Send'.

Make sure that you have a professional sounding email address, dirtyhotpants@spankme.com may sound impressive to your friends but it is unlikely to receive the same positive response from a potential employer.

  • It is well worth creating a more serious address, even if it only for the purpose of applications.
  • In the subject line of your email clearly state that it is an application and which position you are applying for. This means that your email can be more quickly and effectively dealt with.
  • Be careful not to adopt too personal a tone in your email. Remember that you are making a professional application and your tone should reflect that.
  • Make sure attachments are easily accessible. Stick to .txt or .doc (Notepad or MS Word) formats to ensure that your CV can be received and readable.
Your can use your email as your covering letter or attach a separate covering letter. If you choose to treat it as a covering letter remember that it should be written in the format laid out in Cover Letter Tips.