A good CV gives prospective employers a quick, concise summary of your qualifications, experience, skills and suitability for
a particular role.
A really good CV gets noticed ahead of the many others that arrive on employers’ desks every day.
What your CV should include
Your name, address and full contact details
A one-paragraph profile that sums up your professional and personal attributes, such as:
Key roles you’ve completed to date
- Your experience in a specific sector or industry,
- Your ‘unique selling points’, eg. problem-solver, team player, etc
Your professional experience – starting with your most recent position and including start and finish dates, job title, employer, key responsibilities and achievements and accounting for any career gaps
Your education – from secondary school onwards, with names of schools, colleges or universities, attendance dates and qualifications gained
Your skills and professional or specialist qualifications
– including any relevant training courses you’ve completed
Details of any software packages you’re familiar with and level of proficiency e.g. basic, intermediate and advanced
A quick overview of your life outside work – include hobbies, sporting activities and personal interests so that employers get a sense of the real you and what makes you tick
How to present your CV
Lay your CV out clearly and logically, using short sentences, bullet points, a single typeface and consistently sized headings. Make sure it covers no more than two sides of A4 and that your finished article is polished and error-free.
Be honest, accurate and able to talk confidently through any point on your CV. Tailor your CV to emphasise skills and experiences that match the role you’re applying for. Decisions about which candidates to invite to interview are invariably based on the relevance of the information in their CVs.
Keep your CV up to date. New experiences, skills and qualifications will improve your value to future employers.
Finally, provide a covering letter or email to give a ‘voice’ to your CV and let your words do the talking. Draw out key points from your CV to state where there is a good match between what is required of the role and what you have to offer.
For more information speak to one of our consultants.