Effective CV Writing
We suggest that you format your CV as follows:
Personal Details: |
Name, Contact Details, Nationality - Work Permit if relevant. |
Education and Qualifications: |
Begin with the most relevant. Provide the full title of your degree and university name. List any significant exam results, Secondary School and A/AS level subjects and grades. Concentrate on GCSE and beyond. |
General Skills: |
This should give the reader a quick and accurate picture of what you can do. This would include holding a driving license and IT literacy. |
Work Experience: |
List your previous employment in chronological order, with your current position being mentioned in most detail first. Give a brief description of your responsibilities in each role. |
Achievements: |
Highlight any career achievements/awards and any career ambitions. |
| Interests and Hobbies: | Provide a brief overview of the things you enjoy doing in your spare time, including your hobbies and anything that interests you. |
References: |
References need not be given at the initial application stage. A simple "references available on request" should suffice. |
Top Ten Tips to produce the perfect CV:
- Ideally your CV should be no longer than 2 or 3 pages. As previously mentioned you have less than 30 seconds to make an impression so carefully select what you write. Everything you include should be relevant.
- Your CV should be neatly formatted and easy to follow.
- Don't leave time gaps. If you have had any breaks in your career history, explain them.
- Be honest and don't under / over sell yourself.
- List some of your key achievements and quantify them.
- Promote your strengths.
- Ensure your CV has been spell checked. Ask someone to read over it and appraise it.
- Make frequent use of active verbs such as; 'achieved', 'set up', 'managed', 'responsible for' and 'led'.
- You must list all software packages, hardware platforms, operating systems, programming languages, databases, utilities etc, that you are currently familiar with.
- Check with referees before you use their names. The best people to use for references are your current employer or a professor or teacher at your college/university.
How to write an effective covering letter:
Your application letter serves the purpose of connecting the job you are seeking with your qualifications, experience and skills given in your CV. Your covering letter should emphasize how you are right for that job.
This letter is not a lengthy summary of your CV, but rather highlights and elaborates on those key points in your CV, which are of particular significance to the employer's requirements.
There is no set formula to be followed when writing your application letter, particularly as different jobs require different approaches. It is recommended that a formal but friendly attitude is adopted and that you pay attention to your writing style, spelling and grammar.
Your covering letter should not be unnecessarily drawn out. Try to keep to one page, using no more than three paragraphs consisting of factual and simple sentences. Your letter should have a start, middle and an end.
