CV Guidance

A professional CV will ensure you promote yourself to your best advantage and help secure an interview.
There is no single way to construct a CV; it is your document and can be structured and presented as you wish within the basic framework set out below.

WHAT INFORMATION SHOULD A CV INCLUDE?

• Personal Details - Most CV’s start with these but take care to avoid superfluous details, such as age, current salary details and so on
• Education and Qualifications - Take care to include the names of institutions and dates attended in reverse order; university before school results for example
• Work Experience - The most widely accepted style of employment record is the chronological CV. Career history is presented in reverse date order starting with most recent. Achievements and responsibilities are listed against each role. More emphasis/information should be put on more recent jobs
• Skills - Include computer skills and foreign language skills (if applicable) and any other recent training that is relevant to the role applied for
• Hobbies and Interests - Keep this section short
• Referees - This can simply be ‘Available on Request’

GENERAL TIPS

• Your CV should be printed in black ink using a plain typeface, on good quality A4 white/cream paper
• A professional cv should ideally cover no more than two pages and never more than three. Aim to ensure the content is clear, structured, concise and relevant. Using bullet points rather than full sentences can help minimise word usage
• A CV should be tailored to each job application
• The completed CV should be checked carefully for grammatical errors and spelling mistakes and to ensure that it makes sense
• Remember that a potential employer may use the details provided on your CV to form interview questions
• All gaps in career history should be explained and inaccuracies avoided at all costs
• There is no reason to include your reasons for leaving each job on your CV but be prepared to answer these questions in your interview