There are many ways to write a CV correctly and include the information that should go in it. The following guidelines will give you a good idea of what you should do to ensure your CV is the best it can be.

Introductory details:
After beginning your CV with your name, address and contact details at the top (there is no need to write CV or Curriculum Vitae as a title), continue with a brief paragraph of personal ‘profile’ or introduction, describing your work ethic and some of your main positive qualities in order to capture the reader’s attention. You should also very briefly cover your career background so far (if any) and where you intend it to go. Explain why you are applying for this job, remembering to always be positive in this section. Avoid jokes whether they are subtle or obvious and never directly criticise a previous employer or firm. Saying “I have just achieved X qualification and am seeking to develop my career,” is good, but do not say “I want to get out of this rubbish job because I hate my boss and it’s boring and I want anything that’s not here!” Do not go into too much detail in your introduction as you can put more detail in the following sections. The employer is interested in what you can do for them so stating in too much detail what you are looking for is of no interest to them and may make them think you are inflexible on your career path. Note that in your personal details, it is up to you whether you wish to include age, nationality, marital status, etc, as these ought not to affect the consideration of your CV.

Employment History:
There are two main ways to arrange the next section of your CV, covering your employment history and what skills/responsibilities you had. For those with a lower number of previous roles in their career history, it may be beneficial to create a chronological employment history, starting with your most recent role and working backwards. Head each role with your job title/position, the company that you worked for (and if it is not clear from their name, the sort of company that they are or industry that they work in), where you were based (town/county) and the dates between which you worked there. Under each of these headings you can then itemise your day to day tasks, the skills you acquired and your responsibilities. Use a combination of short paragraphs and bullet points if there is a lot of information to relate.

However, this layout can often push your CV to well over 2 or 3 pages in total, so you may want to try the alternative. Write an employment history with only the headings (outlined in the previous paragraph) as bullet points. If necessary add a few words of explanation if the bullet point doesn’t clearly summarise the role. Then follow the employment history section with a key skills/responsibilities section in order of significance/relevance to the job for which you are applying. This can prove a more concise way of detailing skills that you may have used in several of your previous jobs by avoiding repetition. Remember that whilst it is important to sell yourself and emphasise your positive contributions, do not embellish the truth too far to make it look as if you have achieved successes or tasks which you have not. However you must find a balance between exaggeration and modesty, as playing down your achievements is equally detrimental. Identify what your potential employers goals are (a safer working environment? profit? market expansion?) and show how your skills will help them to achieve those goals. If you have little work experience you may wish to put your summary of your education a qualifications before the Employment History. This may also be a good idea if the job description emphasises a need for specific qualifications. Whether you decide to put this section before or after, remember to include the full title of the qualification, the institution where it was achieved and the dates that you studied/achieved it. Depending on its duration/validity, work experience can be put either along with education or along with the employment history. It is acceptable to have gaps in your employment history but you must make sure that you put at least a small explanation in so that they so not look suspicious. Keep explanations as positive as possible but do not lie.

Additional Information:
Lastly, under appropriate headings (e.g. Additional Information); add any extra skills or information that may not have been covered so far. This may include foreign languages which you speak and at what level, whether or not you have a driving licence and what type it is, etc. If you wish to include hobbies, make sure they are a good reflection on you and not too generic. Try to make any skills you highlight sound transferable. Specific skills such as a good knowledge of Microsoft Excel may not be relevant to this role, but an ability to learn new IT packages quickly or to clearly communicate when teaching are applicable to most jobs. If you can back these claims up with examples or figures from previous roles, this is even better. It is best not to put reference contact details straight onto your CV but state ‘references available on request’. This way you save space on your CV and you will know when references are being taken on you because you will have to be contacted for details.

There are three C’s to remember when writing your CV:
• Clarity
• Conciseness
• Consistency

1. CLARITY
Make your CV easily readable and space it clearly with distinguishable section headings. It is highly recommended to aim for 2 to 3 pages in total, as you want to make the document useful not only to those who want an in-depth and detailed history but also to those who are likely to just skim-read your CV to get a general idea of your suitability. Unfortunately some HR departments and secretaries will barely look at the CV but rather scan it electronically for key words, so it is important to make sure these are in there and used as clearly and regularly as is appropriate. This is not always the case of course so it is important for it to be coherent too, especially for when it is to be put forward to interviewers at the next higher stage. Once your CV is complete, ask a friend to read it, as a second pair of eyes can identify areas of difficulty that may be clear to you but not to others. Between you, you may be able to remove clichéd buzz-words, unfamiliar abbreviations and filler phrases and settle on a tone that is polite and respectful. Unless informed otherwise, it is not always safe to assume that the first person to read your CV will be an expert in the industry.

2. CONCISENESS
When writing your CV, keep in mind that it is the very first impression that you will be giving to a potential employer. You may have many interesting skills or achievements from your career, but it is important to identify those which are relevant and noteworthy over those which are standard and emphasise them accordingly by relating them back to the job description if possible. The content should also be relevant to the job for which you are applying. Read all the information you have about the role thoroughly so you know it inside-out and then tailor the information in your CV accordingly, emphasising relevant skills and experiences and omitting irrelevant information such as jobs that are entirely different from the one you are seeking. However, don’t dismiss seemingly mundane tasks too readily. If they are integral to the day-to-day functioning of the company, try to relate that.  Your CV is a means to getting the interview, not to getting the job straight away, so give enough information to capture their attention and give them questions to ask in your interview. Once you have the interview, you will be able to go into greater detail in the areas where they want you to do so.

3. CONSISTENCY
Consistency in writing style and presentation are important. Do not use too many differing fonts and spacing styles but aim for clear simplicity. It is also best not to depend on colour to distinguish sections or heading as not everyone uses a colour printer or photocopier. Instead you can embolden or underline headings or make the font slightly larger, but try to keep these stylistic techniques to headings only, otherwise they begin to lose their distinction. Check and double check your spelling and grammar, both with the program’s spell-checker and yourself. If you can find someone to proof read your CV as well, even better, because there is no excuse and mistakes will make you look careless or unintelligent to the employer.

Above all you must remember that the picture of yourself that your CV paints must be accurate and relate to what the interviewer sees and learns of you in the interview. If you have oversold yourself in your CV, it may be painfully obvious to the interviewer and they will dismiss you in their minds before the interview is even over. Underselling yourself will lose you the interview in the first place.

Gemma Turner
Marketing Manager