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CV Writing

WHAT IS A CV?

A curriculum vitae (CV) is your personal marketing tool - an opportunity to sell your skills, qualities, expertise and potential to a prospective employer.

 

A CV will get you an interview, not a job.

 

An employer will only spend around 7 seconds looking at a CV so keep your information clear and organised.

WHAT TO INCLUDE

  • Personal Details

 

  • Personal Profile  / Statement

 

  • Education

 

  • Add Further Qualifications  or training 

 

  • Work Experience

 

  • References

PERSONAL DETAILS

What to include

 

  • Full Name 

 

  • Contact Telephone Number 

 

  • Email Address

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Remember, you do not need to include

  • Age

 

  • Gender

 

  • Race

  • Religion

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  • Sexuality

​

  • Home address

PERSONAL PROFILE

Key Skills, Interests and Achievements

 

  • The opening statement of your CV

 

  • A short introduction which outlines your personal characteristics

 

  • Tells the prospective employer what kind of a person you are

 

  • Skills and qualities that you have 

 

  • Work experience you have

 

When writing your personal profile, ensure it is:

 

  • No more than 6 lines

 

  • Relevant to the job you are applying for

 

  • Contains some real examples

Be bold, be confident and talk about yourself in a positive way!
EDUCATION

What to include

 

  • School / College Name 

 

  • Town / City 

 

  • Start Date 

 

  • Qualification Type 

 

  • Subjects

 

  • Grade ( Achieved / Predicted Grade)

 

Additional Qualifications

E.g. First Aid  / Duke of Edinburgh

WORK EXPERIENCE

What to include

 

  • Job Title 

 

  • Company Name 

 

  • Town / City 

 

  • Start/End Dates

 

  • Type of work

 

  • Job Duties and Responsibilities

REFERENCES

Who can you ask? Here are some examples

 

  • Teacher

 

  • Past employer

 

  • Someone you have volunteered for

 

What to include 

 

  • Referee’s Name 

 

  • Referee’s Contact Details 

 

  • You don't have to include your referee details, you can just put ‘references available on request’

CV TIPS

  • Keep it to maximum of 2 A4 pages long

 

  • Use bullet points and short sentences rather than big paragraphs

 

  • Only include relevant and positive and information

 

  • Don’t include a photo (unless applying to USA or as a model or actor!)

 

  • Don’t include home address

 

  • Don’t include health details

 

  • Don’t include religion

  • Make sure dates are in chronological order (most recent first)

 

  • Make sure you spell check your CV

 

  • Get someone else to check it

 

  • Make sure you include a reference or put statement: References available on request

 

  • Keep your CV up-to-date and relevant for the job you are applying for

 

  • Don’t need to include date of birth or gender

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