There’s only one way an employer will find out what
you can offer their business - you have to tell them. The best way
to do that is by writing a good CV. If you’re not sure where to
start, we’ve put together some simple CV
guidelines below as well as advice on the best way
to write a CV.
- Presentation
-
The most important thing to remember when
writing your CV is to keep it simple. Fancy fonts and imagery might
make your CV stand out, but not for the right reasons as they can
distract your potential employer from reading the important
information on your CV. Use a clear font and always write in plain
English to clearly get your message across.
- Personal details - include
your name, address, telephone number, mobile phone number and email
address. The more ways you give someone the chance to contact you,
the better.
- Personal profile - here you
can give a brief summary of your skills and experience. This will
help you grab the employer’s attention and encourage them to read
on. You can follow your profile with a list of two or three
achievements that are relevant to the job, such as health and
safety certificates, food hygiene courses or work experience.
- Work history - start with your most recent job
and work backwards. It might be helpful to go through this with
someone on a separate sheet of paper first, as things might come
back to you as you talk and write. Make sure you don’t leave any
gaps in your employment dates. If there have been periods of time
when you haven’t had a job then say what you were doing, whether
you were unemployed, ill or in prison, it’s better to be upfront at
this stage.
- Training - now you can list any training
you’ve done since leaving school; for example any night school
courses, college courses or work-based training.
- Education - use this section to talk about
your education and the qualifications you achieved at school. Put
the most recent first and work backwards.
- Personal information - here you can talk a bit
more about your interests outside of work. Try to talk about
positive things you know a lot about and mention what your hobbies
are as these could be talking points in an interview, but don’t go
into too much detail.
- Additional information - if there’s anything
you think you’ve missed, you can include an additional information
section at the end of your CV.
- Referees - if you have room, include the names
and addresses of two people who have agreed to act as referees for
you. They don’t have to be previous employers, but it’s helpful if
one of them is and make sure you’ve asked their permission before
you include their details.
Finally, look at the CV before you send it off
– it might be that you need to make some small changes to it to
make it more specific to the job you’re applying for.
To find out more about the best way to
write a CV, register your email address and we’ll send you a
template and some extra CV guidelines.
Or you can call us free on 0800 917
9262 to meet one of our consultants.