Write a great CV
For a job application to proceed to interview stage, you need to make the best possible impression with your CV. Follow our tips for writing a CV that stands out from the crowd.
CV Tips
- Keep the layout simple, clean, tidy and easy to read. Headings should be attractive, brief and consistent, so that readers can tell where each piece of information begins and ends.
- Try to keep it to 2 pages.
- Show your personality but don’t overdo it.
- Each step of your career should be prioritised so that the strongest and most relevant aspects take priority over the early stages.
- Make your job descriptions informative – don’t assume that the person reading your CV knows what you do because of your job title. Detail what you did above and beyond the confines of your official job description.
- Arrange qualifications with the most recent first, to demonstrate ongoing professional development.
- Avoid highlighting any sort of failure. Reasons for leaving a job can be included but do not specify negative comments.
- It is only useful to add hobbies if they positively enhance your image, such as team building or mind stimulating hobbies.
- When you’ve finished, check over your CV and, if possible, get someone else to proof read it.
Suggested CV format
Arrange your CV in this order:
- Personal details (name, address, tel, date of birth)
- Brief paragraph summarising your attributes and experience
- Relevant experience, skills and attributes
- Employment history, starting with the most recent
- Qualifications (including driving license)
- Hobbies and interests