Candidates | CV Advice

Introduction

Curriculum Vitae are the tools used by recruiters to make decisions when short listing candidates for a particular vacancy. The most important attribute of a successful CV is that it clearly explains to the reader your technical skills-set and past experience. Your CV should be:

  • Well-presented
  • A source of interesting relevant information
  • Specific to you

Remember you are not writing a CV for yourself you are writing it for the reader.

General guidelines

Having established the purpose of the CV we can now look at the layout and content in more detail.

Your CV must provide a clear picture of your essential characteristics and capabilities. You should be prepared to highlight skills and experiences most pertinent to the type of positions you are interested in applying for.

The following information can be used as a guideline when deciding what information to include in your CV and where:

  • Try keeping your CV to no more than 2 or 3 pages, though we realise this cannot always be achieved.
  • Ensure that all your personal information is included on page one. This will enable potential recruiters to contact you easily. Remember to include all methods of contact; home phone, mobile phone and email address etc.
  • Format your CV to allow you to headline key skills, key achievements and attributes.
  • List all your professional memberships and relevant qualifications.
  • Include information that clearly demonstrates your suitability for the type of vacancies you're applying for and enhances your chances of being short-listed at the beginning of the CV.
  • Your employment history should commence with your current or most recent job and work backwards.
  • Leave out information that is irrelevant or negative.
  • Include details of recent training or skills development events you have attended which could be relevant.

Creating your CV

When you submit a CV to a recruiter, it is their first contact with you. Therefore, you need to present your CV well and make it user friendly. For example:

  • Ensure the layout is neat and concise
  • Don't make the margins too deep or too narrow
  • Careful use of bold type can be effective
  • Use a standard typeface
  • Use reasonable type sizes
  • Avoid the use of text boxes
  • Check for spelling or typographical errors

The following should give you a general template for setting out your CV. Remember that this is only for guidance and you should always produce a document that you are happiest with. Remember this is generally your first contact with a prospective recruiter.

Example Layout

PERSONAL DETAILS

  • Name – First and Last
  • Address & Postcode
  • Telephone numbers
  • Email
  • Driving licence

EDUCATION

  • Degree
  • 'A' Levels/Highers
  • GCSE's/'O'/Standard Grades
  • Professional Qualifications

TECHNICAL SUMMARY

  • Hardware
  • Software
  • Operating Systems
  • Applications
  • Methods
  • Areas of Expertise

BRIEF EMPLOYMENT SUMMARY/CAREER ASPIRATIONS
Include a paragraph summarising the highlights/most impressive aspects of your career history.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Start with most recent first. For each job, emphasise what you did, which technologies you used and how long you were there. Exact start and end dates, explain gaps.

INTERESTS
Talk specifically about genuine interests; give examples to demonstrate your characteristics, such as conveying your ability to work well in a team and/or alone by referring to any sport/social activities you may be involved with.

REFERENCES
Be prepared to give details of two referees should these be requested by either an agency or an employer.