CV

A CV also known as a Curriculum Vitae. Is a written overview of your skills, education, and work experience. It allows you to summarize one’s credentials. In the USA and Canada is known as a resume, and tends to be a more concise document. This document may be used for a variety of reasons, however, the most common of these is to send to prospective employers when looking for a new job.

Are you Sure on what to do on your CV?

When it comes to job hunting, your CV is paramount. Get it right, and you’ll have an interview in no time, but get it wrong, and you may face rejection after rejection. Every CV is different as you want to show why your set of skills makes you suitable for the position you’re applying for at that moment, but all follow a similar structure.

What to include in a CV 

1. Contact details –

Include your full name, home address, mobile number and email address. You do not need to include your date of birth or a photograph unless you’re applying for an acting or modelling job.

2. Profile –

A profile is a concise statement that highlights your key attributes or reasons for deciding to work in a particular field. It is always Placed at the beginning of the CV. Pick out a few relevant achievements and skills, while clearly articulating your career aims. It must focus on the sector you are applying to, as your cover letter will be job-specific. You should keep it short and sharply. 100 words is the perfect length.

3. Education

List and dates of all previous education, including professional qualifications, placing the most recent first.

4. Work experience –

Your experience in reverse chronological order, making sure that anything you mention is relevant to the job you’re applying for. If you have plenty of relevant work experience, this section should come before education.

5. Skills and Achievements –

This is where you talk about the foreign languages you speak and the IT packages you can competently use. Whatever you list should be relevant to the job and not over-exaggerated, as you’ll need to back up your claims at interview. If you have got lots of relevant experience you should do a skills- based CV

6. Interests –

Simply writing ‘socializing, going to the cinema and reading’ isn’t going to catch the attention of the recruiter. However, when relevant to the job, your interests can provide a more rounded picture of you and give you something to talk about at interview. Examples include writing your own blog if you want to be a journalist, or being part of a drama group if you’re looking to get into sales.

7. References –

Written references and verbal references serve different purposes in your job search and your interview, and so you need both types. The written reference letter is often used as a “hook” to get the attention of the hiring manager. It’s good enough to get an interview, but often not quite enough to cement the offer.

The verbal reference, in the form of the phone call, is preferred post-interview. Interviewers want to actually talk to the hiring manager and hear how fantastic you were and how they wish they could hire you again or keep you.

If you’re on your game, you will incorporate both types as you need them in the interview process. Never underestimate how powerful references are as a part of your interview process. If you’ve gotten as far as the interview, they’re very interested in you, and it could easily be the recommendation of someone else that pushes them over the edge to making you the offer

How should a CV be formatted? 

The layout of your CV says a lot about you as a candidate, and the presentation is just as important as the content. After all, how is a recruiter going to see your skills and experience if they’re written in size 10 Comic Sans, in one paragraph, filled with spelling mistakes? It also wouldn’t be a good example of your organisational skills or attention to detail.

To make sure your CV is clear, concise, succinct, and easy to read – it’s always best to follow these key rules:

• Be logical
• Keep it brief and relevant
• Check spelling and grammar
• Choose a professional font
• Use headings and bullet points
• Use a template if necessary

Types of CVs 

There are many different ways you can get your skills across to recruiters – and it doesn’t always have to be in writing, you can also do a video CVs. Whether you want to draw attention to your education, prove your creative abilities, or place an emphasis on your relevant skills, it’s all about tailoring your CV according to your strengths, and the industry you’re applying for work in.

It may also depend on your previous experience, or current circumstances. A graduate CV for example, will look a lot different from the of someone returning from from career break.

Here are a few more CV types you could choose from:

• Creative CV  – for showing skills in marketing, design, and other creative fields
• Technical CV – for IT-based positions
• Teaching CV – for teaching roles
• Academic CV  – for research/lecturing based positions or PhDs
• Skills-based CV  – for those with little work experience