Top Tips for CVs.
Look closely at your CV before you send it.
Where to start.
In this section, I discuss what a CV or Curriculum Vitae is and how you can create one from the start. Sometimes they are also called Resumes. There are a few essential things about writing a CV, but I’ll also share my Top Tips, which can make all the difference.
The clearest way to describe a CV, is an accurate and personal record of your background, education, skills, knowledge and experiences related to work and activities. As you get older and your career develops, your CV will be more detailed and comprehensive.
Contact details
Make sure to include your name and address. Just write your name and part of your address, but there is no need to include all the details of your address. You could say for example: Hackney, London, or Earlsfield, London SW18. As an example my CV would start Simon Hamilton with my address on the next line.
Then add your email address and mobile number.
Nationality
You can also add your Nationality, as this may be useful if you are applying for a job which has international projects or clients.
Languages
If you have language skills such as French, Polish, Urdu, German or French, etc. then add this to your CV. If you are a native speaker of a language, then you can write ‘native or mother tongue.’ Increasingly it is important to include your level of English as this is the international language of business. If you can speak and write English well, then it’s worth adding ‘English: fluent written and spoken’. If not then, you might want to use the words such as advanced, intermediate or basic.The next part is the Profile or Introduction. This is very important and you should write 1 or 2 short paragraphs about yourself. A little about your background, abilities, personality and what you enjoy.
Keep it short and don’t repeat everything from your work experience. Think about what you like to do and can offer a potential employer. Include something interesting about you and your life.
Interests
You can include interests in this section, but please make sure they are not just a list, such as travel, swimming and being with friends. It is much more interesting to read how your hobby or interest integrates into your life. For example if you like travel, talk about where you have been and why you enjoyed it. This could be: ‘I enjoyed travelling around South America, as it inspired me to research the relationship between Brazil and modern architecture in Europe’. Or if you enjoy sports such as cricket, athletics or football, say why you like these and how they have influenced your life.
Achievements
A CV is also a record of what you have achieved in addition to exam results, so please include some personal achievements which may be running a marathon for charity, getting a medal or award or volunteering at your local hospital.
Education
Make sure the name of your school or college is clear, the details are in the correct order with accurate dates and institution names are correct. Your qualifications can also be included here.
Technical skills
If you have any technical skills such as Photoshop, Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Keynote, Pages etc then make sure you include these in your skills section. Its always good to say the level of your ability e.g. Advanced, Intermediate, Basic or Learning.
Experience
In this section you can write about when and where you have been employed. Whether it is a retail store, restaurant, gym, or another place of work, it is all essential.
Having a job even for a short time is useful experience. It teaches you how to interact with other people, and a discovery of a working environment whether its a shop, office or other business.
Having work experience will give you confidence and teach you the basics of building a career and developing your skills and knowledge.
Make sure you are clear about your employer’s company name, your position e.g. Sales Assistant or Intern, and the dates you worked. Give a short description of the company, type of clients or projects and the work you did.
If you know the details, also include the size, sector, location and name of projects and if you worked in a team or independently. Explain what you learnt and your responsibilities. If you improved, increased or changed anything then also explain that too. For example ‘I improved the sales by 50% in my first 6 months.’
Once you have completed all of the above sections you will have a great CV which you is an accurate record of your background, interests and work experience.
Feel free to contact us via email if you have any questions about the information above.