​Top Tips for Writing your CV

So you are looking for a job. Whether part-time or otherwise, an apprenticeship or direct to the company. Your CV is the first impression that you will make on a prospective employer, so getting it right is paramount. It can be difficult, particularly when you have never written a CV previously. So here are a few top tips on how to write your CV.
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The basics
Firstly, ensure you have all the basics. The main points that everyone should have on their CV are:

• Full Name – this is the easy part. However, some who consider their names difficult to pronounce may choose to use an easier alternative. Still put your full name but put your chosen simplified name in quotes. For example, Zuqiang “Stanley” Xuan, so employers know you are happy to be called Stanley or just use Stanley Xuan.

​You are the title!
 
Don’t write CV or Curriculum Vitae as the main title for your CV. It’s your CV – you’re the star here so put your name as the main title.

• Address – Remember that street and place names should begin with a capital letter and postcodes should all be in uppercase. Eg. 117 Geoffrey Road, Lewisham, SE13 1JB

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• Contact Phone – double check it is accurate. Employers cannot contact you to arrange an interview if your number is incorrect.

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• Email address – keep it professional. Not [email protected]! If you have a joke name on your email, set up a new one and remember to check it frequently. Don’t miss out because you didn’t see a message that had been sent.​

• Personal Statement/Profile – Write in the third person, which means avoiding the use of the word “I”. Sum up your qualities and skills that are relevant to the job. Keep it relatively short, say, 3-5 sentences.

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• Achievements – if you have won any awards at school or been part of significant competitions, then include these. Don’t forget 100% attendance records from school that show your reliability and punctuality; always very important to employers. Also, things such as being a prefect or on the school council show responsibility and recognition by others.​

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• Skills -Include ICT skills or specific software that is relevant to the job, but also if you are bi-lingual then make sure you include this. Also, think about qualities that are relevant such as team worker, using initiative, responsible, punctual etc. Remember, you need to back up what you say through descriptions of your experience, in your cover letter or at interview, so don’t make it up.

 

• Employment History/Work Experience – Include all paid jobs and work experience placements, but don’t forget voluntary roles. Just make clear in the job title that you were a volunteer. That may include helping at church on a weekly basis, babysitting for family and friends or helping out at a family run business.

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• ​​Education – Put the name of secondary education schools and colleges, along with your qualifications and if you don’t yet have your results use your target grades. You do not need to put your primary schools down.

• Interests/Experience – put things that use skills that are related to the job. These can help such as when applying to work for an international company, having interest in travel or blogging if you’re applying for a marketing company is useful. Also, if you take part in a team sport regularly as this shows commitment, team work and dedication. ​​Do not to include – drinking, shopping, or partying with friends. Employers don’t need to know that you do this. However, if you have a gaming channel on YouTube with thousands of followers and you are applying for a social media marketing role, then it is worth mentioning. So think carefully about your interests and hobbies before including them in your CV.
  

Reverse chronological
All information should be written putting the most recent experiences, education or achievements first and then work backwards. So, for example, under the section on education, put you’re college or ‘A’ levels information before your secondary school and GCSEs.​

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​Clues are in the job description
Read through the job description thoroughly highlighting key words and phrasing. If they mention there are looking for someone who is ‘willing to learn and reliable’, then write in your personal statement/profile ‘willing to learn and reliable’ but only if you are! It will be very obvious once they meet you if you are not, or if your school attendance etc do not reflect this.
 
If the job includes travel opportunities, then say ‘willing and interested to travel for work’ but again only if you actually are. However, don’t copy large chunks from the job description!! Try and say it in a different way to show you really understand what the employer needs. If you do not paraphrase, then it may be interpreted as laziness, a lack of understanding of the role or taken in some other negative way.
 
References
Unless the job description actually ask for references, simply right “References available on request”. This shows you have others prepared to vouch for you. DO NOT put contact details, as agencies may use this to contact Employers without actually, considering you for a job. Only provide if you have made a direct application to the employer and/or actually had an interview.

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​Max 2 pages ONLY
Keep it to two pages only. If it is longer, try and re-phrase things using less words, or change formatting to help. For example, have narrower margins, smaller text but not too small or use columns for your qualifications. If it still doesn’t fit then you have to decide what to cut out.
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Formatting
Make sure your information is clear and presented professionally. Don’t try and be too fancy or colourful. However, it needs to be easy to read. Employers and recruitment agents receive so many CVs that if it is hard to follow, they may simply decide not to bother. Use bold for headings, italic bold for sub-heading, job titles etc. Break up large blocks of text with paragraphs or use bullet points to make responsibilities in a particular role clear.

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Social Media
Although not a part of your CV, make sure you clean up your social media footprint. Employers are likely to search your details and check. So always avoid posting too many pictures of you messing about with your mates, or having public insults and arguments with others on their Facebook walls or via Twitter. Use private message groups for your conversations with friends.

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​Proof read
Finally ….. Check! Check! Check! Always get someone to read through it and check for spelling and grammatical mistakes. It is easy when you know what it is you want it to say not to notice the errors. Parents/Carers, teachers, careers advisors or a friend you know has excellent English skills can all help with this. Or get in touch with us www.Crea8ingCareeers.com or email direct to [email protected]

We are always happy to help! So, now you have a few tips to start your CV. Good luck!