Essential Content
All CVs must contain:
- Contact details – full name, phone number and email address (consider including your LinkedIn address if you have one);
- Education – all previous education, listing the most recent first. Include any professional qualifications;
- Work experience – this can be internships, voluntary roles or previous jobs. Add the most recent/relevant positions and examples of tasks.
- Skills – for example, the ability to work in a team, manage people, customer service skills, or specific
IT skills; - You do not need to include your date of birth, nationality, gender or a photograph of yourself.
CV Language
Language should be professional and skills focused. Where possible, avoid using a list of duties.
Highlighting skills that are specific to the role as well as transferable skills will have greater impact. Try
to avoid over using ‘I’ and steer clear from large blocks of text. Make it as easy as possible for
employers to see at a glance what you have to offer.
Presentation
CVs should be clear, easy to read and have a consistent style throughout. Use of headings and a clear
font will enable you to highlight key pieces of information to an employer. Using bullet points can be
really effective.
Make a good first impression!
50% of CVs are rejected due to bad grammar and spelling;
76% of CVs are rejected due to an unprofessional email address;
55% of recruiters have reconsidered a candidate based on
their social media profile.
Skills-Based CV or Chronological-Based CV:
Your CV can be organised in whichever way suits your situation best. See the Example CV template for ideas.
If you have little experience but want to showcase your potential, you may choose to make more of the skills section and move that section above your employment/experience section. The key is to ensure that the things that are most relevant to the job you are applying for are nearer the beginning of your CV. As a graduate, your recent education is likely to be very important if you are applying for graduate schemes. However, if it is a while ago since you graduated, and you have acquired other skills and experiences through work or travel which are directly relevant to the role, you may find that your education section comes further down your CV. Everyone’s CV will be different and uniquely tailored to the role you are applying for.
One page or two?
Sometimes there is confusion about whether to create a one or two page CV. Most companies are comfortable with and expect a 2 page CV. The main exceptions to this are sectors such as finance or IT where there may be a specific requirement for a one page, skills-focused CV. Your technical skills will be the most important aspects to highlight in these situations. Academic CVs and Medical CVs maybe much longer and there will be other expectations about what should be included. If unsure, check with the company you are applying to or speak to a careers adviser.
How creative can I be?
A traditional format CV might feel a bit plain and you may be tempted to make it look more interesting. However, avoid creating a document that makes it harder for the employer to read. If you are applying for a role with a strong, creative element, you may wish to use your CV as a way of demonstrating your creative flair. This is fine as long as you keep the main principles of creating an easy to read document firmly in mind.
You might also want to create a video CV. The Careers team also has information to help you make a Video CV.
Providing Evidence:
Once you have identified the employer’s requirements, you need to provide clear evidence on your CV that you have the skills, experience and knowledge they are looking for. Employers look for relevant transferable skills e.g. communication, team work, commercial awareness, problem solving etc. They may also be looking for technical or specific specialist skills: e.g. laboratory techniques, specialist IT/programming languages, project management, or knowledge/research specific to the role.
The recruiter is likely to have a shortlisting pro forma to complete when assessing your application. Some large recruiters use software to scan CVs as part of the initial sift where the software is programmed to detect key words as found in the job description and person specification. You will need to provide evidence that you have the skills you claim to have.
For example:
Avoid: “In my role as … I developed communication skills, time management skills and team working skills.”
This is a vague statement that doesn’t tell the recruiter how effective you were in using these skills or how you actually used them. You need to provide more information. For example: Who did you communicate with – customers, public, managers, children? How effective were you and what difference did your communication make?
Consider using the elements of the STAR Model to evidence your experience.
The STAR Model:
Situation: What was the situation?
Task: What task were you required to carry out? Keep it brief, but specific. Information detailed in your job title/employer often provides this context. Action: What did YOU do? What actions did you take? Use active language. Avoid ‘we’ when referring to teamwork; focus on YOUR contribution.
Result: What was the outcome? What impact did your contribution/action have? What was improved? Qualify and quantify where you can.
*TOP TIP: For extra impact, also reflect on any insights gained or what you learnt from the experience.
