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Your CV is an essential sales tool, demonstrating to a potential employer that you have the necessary experience, knowledge and desire to do the job. Some CV's provide nothing more than a list of job titles and duties undertaken and it is important to remember that all companies are results orientated so you must give examples of key achievements and areas where you have made a difference within an organisation.
Structure
Personal Details
You should start with your name, address, phone number and date of birth.
Whilst a personal profile if probably the hardest part to write it is an invaluable overview of your suitability for the job. Keep it short and use the space to summarise your skills, experience, knowledge and career aspirations.
Career History
The most relevant duties are those that have been undertaken most recently and this should be at the start of your CV. Focus on your career history first, followed by your academic qualifications.
- List all the positions you have held chronologically, with the most recent first.
- For each position, detail the job title, the name of the company and the period of employment.
- Outline briefly which industry sector each company are in and their annual turnover. This is useful information to a potential employer.
- Detail your key responsibilities and outline any achievements. This is often best done in bullet points.
- There should not be any gaps in your CV and areas of unemployment should be explained, if appropriate, for example, for travel.
Qualifications & Education
Take the same approach to your education as for your employment history, listing the most recent first. If you are a fresh graduate, it is more appropriate to list your education before your career history.
Presentation
Visual first impressions really count and are as important as the content of the CV.
- Your CV should not exceed 3 pages. However it should not appear squeezed onto each page. Use subheadings so that the reader can cast their eye through the CV for the information they require.
- Use a clear and simple typeface, with no gimmicks and print the CV on good quality paper.
- Keep the language formal and short and avoid jargon and abbreviations and make sure you check the grammar and spelling!
- Do not use comb bindings or plastic wallets as these do not fit in most peoples in-trays and therefore end up separated from the other CVs
