Your CV is your first opportunity to tell an employer what you can do.
It allows you to summarise your education, skills and experience, selling yourself to employers to ultimately get you shortlisted for interview.
Your CV is a representation of you.
What do you want the reader to think about you after reading your CV? If you want the employer to think that you are a strong match for their requirements there are a few key points for you to consider:
Target your CV
Address the requirements that the employer is looking for. If they have set out key criteria, skills and experience ensure you are matching those by clearly outlining how you meet these through the information you include on your CV.
No longer than 2 pages in length
Employers are busy and they have a lot of CVs to review. Make your CV concise, specific and well balanced. Enough information and description that demonstrates your attributes and achievements but not so much that the reader becomes frustrated.
Avoid spelling/grammar mistakes
If you make a spelling/grammar mistake then your CV will not be shortlisted. The employer's view is that simple mistakes makes it more likely that you are a person that does not pay attention to detail or couldn't be bothered. Use spell check and get your CV proof read.
Provide a comprehensive picture of yourself by including:
- Contact details - Include your full name, home address, mobile number and email address. You do not need to include your date of birth, nationality or a photograph.
- Profile - Your profile is like the headline. It is a concise statement that highlights your key attributes, achievements and skills to demonstrate why you are best suited to the role. Ensure it is tailored to the sector you're applying to and keep it succinct to make an impact; 3 - 4 lines is ideal.
- Education & Qualifications - List and date all previous education most recent first ensuring you give the most detail for the most relevant qualification. List modules you studied which are relevant and highlight key achievements eg prizes, high grades, relevant research projects etc. Your secondary education should be summarised in only 1-2 lines
- Work experience - List your experience (most recent first) ensuring that what you describe is relevant to the job you're applying for. If you have plenty of relevant work experience, this section could come before education. Outline what you achieved through your work experience using bullet points and action verbs to make an impact.
- Skills and achievements - Identify the key skills required for the roles you are applying to and provide clear evidence of how you have developed each skill with a 2-3 examples of how you developed that skill in different contexts.
- Interests - Simply writing 'socialising, going to the cinema and reading' isn't going to catch the attention of the recruiter. Outline sporting achievements or volunteering experience or other extra-curricular interests which demonstrate motivation, commitment or professional interests to provide a more rounded picture of you and give you something to talk about at interview.
- References - Include 2 references - one academic and one work-related (relevant to the area you are trying to get into if possible). Provide their name, position, address, contact number and email address.
Download this template of a graduate CV to help you understand how best you can present yourself in writing.
Access expert advice
Our Employability & Careers team are ready and waiting to help you with, amongst other things, your CV. Contact us now to get expert 1-1 advice from an Employability Advisor.