A CV outlines what you have done in your life so far. The aim of a CV is to get you an interview; use it to sell your skills, experience and achievements. You may already have one - NOW could be a good time to review it.
The main things to remember is that You choose what goes in your CV. There are no 'rights' and 'wrongs' about what should or should not go in or how to set it out, only guidelines.
A good CV can:
- Help you to organise your information.
- Save time - if you apply for several jobs you can send photocopies of your CV with a short letter of application.
- Help you fill in application forms fully and correctly.
- Give a clear first impression.
- Get you more confidence (don't read from it though).
Things to remember about your CV:
It should be
- Short - one or two sides of an A4 sheet is enough.
- Neat - make it as neat as you can - preferably word processed. This will give a food impression of you, and make it easy to read.
- Organised - divide the information into sections (e.g. personal details, skills, education, work experience). Headings should stand out clearly.
- Positive - emphasise your strengths, achievements etc.
It should not be
- Negative - you do not want the reader to have doubts about you.
- Say things that you have not done. This will only make you look foolish if the employer finds out.
CV guidelines
- Be positive - it is a sales document and the product is YOU.
- Be relevant - what does the reader need to know?
- Make it readable - clearly divided with spaces for headings, logical, word processed.
- Use a standard font - such as Arial or Times Roman.
- Produce one CV - adapt it to the job you are applying for.
- Ask someone to check it.
- Always include a covering letter.
