The aim of this document is to help
you write a CV which markets you effectively. There are no hard and
fast rules as to what you must or must not include. Rather, there
are guidelines which you can follow, or not, as you choose.
In addition to this guide you can access examples of CV's and Covering
Letters by clicking one of the following links:
CV
Example 1
CV Example 2
Covering Letter
[Other samples in the download area]
What is a CV?
A record of personal, educational and work details, a CV is a personal
marketing tool which should be presented in a way that will show your
skills, qualities and experience to their best advantage.
What is the aim of a CV?
A CV is written in order to persuade someone, almost invariably an
employer, to take you seriously. An interview is normally the primary
goal.
Why do all CVs look the
same?
Your CV is a very personal document, it is your design and no two
CVs are likely to be the same.
Finally, a CV needs a covering letter to complement it and the covering
letter is as important as the CV itself. The letter draws attention
to the main points about yourself, and when the reader turns to the
CV the information which it contains gives more details, and evidence
for the claims you made in the letter.
Notes on producing CVs
The tips below are worth considering before embarking on your design.
• You do not have to put CV as a heading! Employers will recognise
a CV!
• Have your CV typed! A recent publication on CVs
recommends Arial font size 10, with your name in size 14, as being
ideal for A4 paper. They also recommend Word for Windows software,
using bold and italic for emphasis, with the "tab" key to
line up the columns.
• There should be nothing daunting
about a CV. You are in effect designing your own application form.
Thus, include what you feel is important and relevant.
•
You will need to tailor the emphasis of your CV to meet the needs/criteria
of a particular application.......DO NOT send one CV to dozens of
companies and complain that you have sent off dozens of applications
with little response. The reality is that you have sent off one application
dozens of times which many employers will recognise as a "circular"
and treat it accordingly.
• Try not to exceed two sides
of A4. Indeed one page CVs are becoming increasingly popular if accompanied
by a covering letter highlighting the relevance and suitability of
the application.
• Academic CVs and replies to advertisements
asking for a full CV tend to be longer however. Some PhD students
will, for example, have to list published works or presentations given.
This is the norm (and highly relevant of course). Do not worry about
length in this instance, although remember someone still has to read
it!!
• Use good quality paper. White is safest unless
you wish to be slightly different.
• Be concise
• Don't use unnecessary punctuation or underlining as it slows
the reader.
• Keep a copy of each CV, making sure you
remember which company you sent it to!
• Read your CV
before you attend the interview. Your application will form the basis
of the interview.
What
should you include?
There are core elements which almost every CV should include:
• Personal Details
• Education & Qualifications
• Work Experience
• Skills Profile
• (Career) Aim
• Hobbies & Interests
• Referees
Personal Details
What to include:
• Name • If you use your middle
name, indicate this by underlining
• Address • Home
and term addresses (if different) with dates
• Telephone
number
• Date of birth/age • Generally included
but your decision
• Nationality • Employers may
need to know if a work permit is required
• Sex •
If your sex is not obvious from your name you may wish to include
• Marital status • Married or single, personally we would
omit but......
Don't include:
• Children • Unless you feel it
is relevant to the position
Education
and Qualifications
What to include:
Higher Education: Institution attended, dates, qualification (BA etc.),
class obtained/expected and some details about your course. This will
vary of course, depending on the role for which you are applying and
its relevance to your particular programme of study. You may wish
to highlight particular modules which may not seem, at first glance
to a prospective employer, part of a particular degree programme.
e.g. language modules.
The same format for Postgraduate education: What is relevant to your
application? If your Post Grad course is more relevant to your application
or needs more clarification i.e. title may be ambiguous, then weight
your CV accordingly.
Academic Prizes: Recent awards or prizes carry more weight.
Secondary or Further Education: Once again there are no hard and fast
rules.
It is for you to manipulate your CV to promote the relevance of your
application and thus the weighting (if any) you give academic qualifications.It
may be best to list your qualifications at the same point as your
list of educational institutions attended (together with dates) rather
than the two separately.
Work Experience
Not everyone has acquired work experience that is directly relevant
to the function for which you are applying. If you do have relevant
experience, full, part-time or sandwich, make sure you mention it
prominently. Some people divide their work experience into 2 categories
relevant and other.
Thus virtually all work experience has some relevance to most jobs.
This is because most employers are looking for the same transferable
or key skills.
Personal Transferable
Skills (Skills profile)
These skills are seen as abilities or competencies that are core to
almost everything you will be expected to do in a work environment.
They are transferable between jobs of different types. The range of
transferable or key skills wanted by employers does vary. You can,
of course, write on your CV "excellent communication skills"
but employers will need evidence of how and where you gained those
skills and abilities. Thus if you decide on a CV incorporating a Skills
Profile you need to demonstrate a close match between your experience
and an employer's requirements.
Remember it is your design, but make it difficult for the reader not
to interview you by making your CV relevant, concise and easy to read.
The skills you promote on your CV must echo the needs of the company.
Hobbies, Interests, Skills, Activities,
Achievements, and Positions of Responsibility
There should again be nothing daunting about this part of your
CV. You may indeed wish to omit it (a number of European countries
would insist) especially if your design is one page. This is however
the opportunity for you to get across your personality or interests
that again hopefully will match the ethos of the company to which
you are applying. Give enough information to indicate what you do
in your spare time or your achievements, without going overboard.
You may need to be selective.
Referees
If you don't have space to list the names, addresses and job titles
of two referees, then insert the phrase: References available on request
at the bottom of your CV. If you do have space, give the name, address,
telephone number and job title (or some indication of how they know
you) of two referees. Keep the referee well informed about yourself,
your career aspirations and applications. Give them a copy of your
CV and covering letter to assist. Do ask permission before including
their names in your CV. If possible give them a brief description
of the job for which you are applying to. Don't name a relative and
avoid, if at all possible, heads or teachers from secondary or further
education. Sometimes people attach to their application a letter of
reference which they have been given, usually by a previous employer.
This is, in effect, not a reference but a testimonial. The point of
a reference is that it is confidential between the referee and the
prospective employer. The employer may want the referee to answer
specific questions which are not covered by the testimonial. That
said there is no harm as long as it does not make your application
over long.
Covering Letters
When sending a CV to an employer it should always be accompanied by
a covering letter. It can be the first document to be read and thus,
in the short term, can be as important as your CV.
•
The covering letter needs to be specific to the individual company
(not a mailshot to all similar companies)
• Use one side
of A4, 3 or 4 paragraphs of text
• As with your CV, keep
it clear and concise
• Address it to the appropriate
person by name, if you don't know who this is ring up and find out!!
• Draw out from your CV (ideally using different language
to that within the CV) the relevance of your application. Make it
difficult for the employer NOT to interview you. Highlight your degree
content, skills or experience which make you a suitable candidate
• End on a positive note, state that you are looking
forward to hearing from the company or organisation
•
Read again. Would you be interested in this candidate if you were
the employer? If not why not?
• Keep copies
Conclusion
There is nothing daunting about writing your CV. No hard and fast
rules merely guidelines. We hope the above tips will prove / have
proved helpful. Remember to be concise and relevant and always consider
what the aim of your CV is. Generally this is to persuade someone
that you meet the criteria they are looking for and that they ought
to interview you.
Good luck !
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