CV Writing Tips

Tips for writing an effective CV

• The contents of your CV and its presentation can determine whether you even get as far as an interview.
• It should be a simply written outline of your scholastic and working history.
• Do not write in longhand unless it is a stated requirement. Use a clear businesslike typeface and do not use coloured paper (it does not photocopy well).
• Start with your full name, address, phone numbers, date of birth and nationality.
• Put the most recent employment or achievement first and continue in reverse order to the most distant in time.
• Keep details brief but to the point. Give names of previous employers and relevant dates.
• Tailor your CV to the job for which you are applying. Don't expand on items that have little relevance.
• Tell the truth. A lie that is found out will not only lose you this application - it could damage your future chances..
• Make the most of the positive aspects that apply to this position by devices such as bullet points (but no more than three or four).
• Educational achievements have less significance the longer you have been in employment.
• Hobbies and pastimes can indicate qualities of initiative and leadership - but a long list of leisure pursuits may create the wrong impression.
• Give at least two references, preferably recent tutors or employers. Check with them first that they will act as referees.
• If this is your first job remember to include any work experience or voluntary work.
• Try to limit your CV to a page - and that doesn't mean reducing the type size to make it fit!
• Check what you have written and get someone whose opinion you value to check it too. Spelling mistakes and incorrect names will lead to an immediate thumbs down.
• Your CV is a passport to an interview and a prospective job. Its purpose is to convince an employer that you are worth considering for the advertised post.
• Out of maybe 100 applications only a dozen may be selected at the CV stage. So write for the employer - not for yourself.