| Making the most of your CV |
The perfect CV is the one that results in getting you the interview that you want!
'Curriculum Vitae' literally means 'Course of life'.
Your CV is a personal marketing tool presenting your qualifications, skills and attributes to enmployers in a way that demonstrates your suitability for the job.
A CV must be accurate, interesting and up-to-date. It must also be presentable and relevant.
'Curriculum Vitae' literally means 'Course of life'.
Your CV is a personal marketing tool presenting your qualifications, skills and attributes to enmployers in a way that demonstrates your suitability for the job.
A CV must be accurate, interesting and up-to-date. It must also be presentable and relevant.
| Basic Covering Letter Structure |
The first paragraph should state what post you are applying for and where you saw the vacancy advertised.
The second paragraph should have a brief description of why you are applying for the vacancy. You can use this paragraph to mention briefly any relevant work experience or qualifications.
The final paragraph advises when you are available for interview unless the company has already specified this.
It is customary to write that you look forward to hearing from them.
The second paragraph should have a brief description of why you are applying for the vacancy. You can use this paragraph to mention briefly any relevant work experience or qualifications.
The final paragraph advises when you are available for interview unless the company has already specified this.
It is customary to write that you look forward to hearing from them.
| Basic CV Structure |
Format
Most CV's follow a traditional format: personal details followed by education, work experience, activities and interests, then referees - this would be a standard chronological CV. You could have a skills-based CV, which would highlight the skills you have developed - particularly useful if you have very varied work experience. You can mix and match as you like - the main thing is to produce a CV that meets your needs.
1. Personal Details
Name
Address, Post Code
Telephone
Mobile
Email
2. Personal Profile / Career Objective
N.B. This is an optional section. This is more useful for applying for graduate vacancies than part-time or vacation work unless the chosen vacancy is relevant to your course or chosen career path.
This should be a short (3/4 lines) summary of your main 'selling' points. It should cover the questions 'Who am I?, Where have I been?, Where am I going?' with a summary of relevant areas of your career and key skills.
3. Education
Dates: Name of Institution, Location, Qualifications - Higher Education
Include brief details of course, modules, projects and areas of
special interest
Dates: Name of Institution, Location
Qualifications - secondary Education
List A-Levels/GNVQ's - not much detail unless relevant
GCSE's, mention Maths, English or other relevant subjects
4. Employment Experience
Dates: Job Title, Name & Location of Employer
Include main responsibilities and emphasise skills used and developed with relevant experience.
Temporary jobs of a similar nature may be grouped together to avoid duplication and save space.
Dates: You can include all work and work experience and voluntary work but remember that you are selecting the entries and you can leave out those that you fee are not relevant. However,remember that even the simplest jobs can demonstrate useful skills.
Professional Qualifications
Higher Education: Where/when and results or expected results
Schools attended and results
Student’s memberships and activities
Career History
Start with current/most recent employer first
Name of employer
Type of business
Dates from/to
Job duties
Interests
References
1 x academic & 1 x employment
Most CV's follow a traditional format: personal details followed by education, work experience, activities and interests, then referees - this would be a standard chronological CV. You could have a skills-based CV, which would highlight the skills you have developed - particularly useful if you have very varied work experience. You can mix and match as you like - the main thing is to produce a CV that meets your needs.
1. Personal Details
Name
Address, Post Code
Telephone
Mobile
2. Personal Profile / Career Objective
N.B. This is an optional section. This is more useful for applying for graduate vacancies than part-time or vacation work unless the chosen vacancy is relevant to your course or chosen career path.
This should be a short (3/4 lines) summary of your main 'selling' points. It should cover the questions 'Who am I?, Where have I been?, Where am I going?' with a summary of relevant areas of your career and key skills.
3. Education
Dates: Name of Institution, Location, Qualifications - Higher Education
Include brief details of course, modules, projects and areas of
special interest
Dates: Name of Institution, Location
Qualifications - secondary Education
List A-Levels/GNVQ's - not much detail unless relevant
GCSE's, mention Maths, English or other relevant subjects
4. Employment Experience
Dates: Job Title, Name & Location of Employer
Include main responsibilities and emphasise skills used and developed with relevant experience.
Temporary jobs of a similar nature may be grouped together to avoid duplication and save space.
Dates: You can include all work and work experience and voluntary work but remember that you are selecting the entries and you can leave out those that you fee are not relevant. However,remember that even the simplest jobs can demonstrate useful skills.
Professional Qualifications
Higher Education: Where/when and results or expected results
Schools attended and results
Student’s memberships and activities
Career History
Start with current/most recent employer first
Name of employer
Type of business
Dates from/to
Job duties
Interests
References
1 x academic & 1 x employment
