How to write a great cv

1. How to write a great cv

2. CV’s • PURPOSE: To get an interview. • AIM: To convince a prospective placement provider that you have the skills, experience, ability and motivation for their opportunity. • REMEMBER: More applicants weeded out at this stage than any other during selection process

3. A sobering thought • A major employer dealing with responses to a newspaper ad. will spend about: • 15 seconds per application on the first sift........ • 1 minute per application on the next sift.......... • 5-10 minutes per application on the final sift before short-listing for interview.

4. CV’s • The first point of contact with a potential employer. • A personal, targeted marketing tool. (Don’t go over the top or lie) • A means of highlighting your academic qualifications, skills, abilities and work experience i.e. selling yourself • A means of demonstrating your suitability for the position you are applying for. • The first step towards obtaining an interview.

5. CV’s • Before putting pen to paper, fingers to keyboard: • Research what the placement provider is looking for. • Use ‘job’ description, website and company brochures. • Think about what you have to offer an employer. • Tailor your CV to the specific job/company. • Give yourself plenty of time.

6. CV Presentation • Concise and clear content – don’t waffle • Use simple/plain, positive, active English • Use correct spelling, punctuation and grammar • Well laid out and split into sections – i.e. • Skills Profile • Education / Work Experience • Interests • Achievements

7. CV Presentation • Use bullet points and snappy text over long prose sentences • No less than size 10 in a normal font, i.e. Arial/ Verdana/Geneva or Times New Roman( Law firms favour it)/Georgia • Maximum of 2 pages • Use a computer and top quality paper

8. Types of CV – 1) Chronological • Chronological • Provides all the information most employers want in a familiar format and demonstrates steady development in education and career. • Lists education and work experience by date with most recent information first.

9. Chronological CV – Lay out e.g. • Personal Details • Placement Objective • Education (Most recent 1st) Subjects, Key skills / Results received • Work Experience (Most recent 1st) Duties – what did you do, how did it develop you Key skills/abilities demonstrated – evidence • Additional Skills • Achievements • Interests / Activities What do they say about you – evidence of skills / abilities –Be careful here. • References

10. Types of CV – 2) Skills-based • Skills-based • Same headings, different lay-out with targeted approach through skills matching. • Work experience details kept to a minimum • Useful for highlighting particular skills enabling the selector to understand the relevance of skills and experience and for distracting away from a varied career history

11. Skills Based CV – Lay out e.g. • Personal Details • Placement Objective • Key Skills / Skills Profile / Skills & Achievements List Skills relevant to opportunity and evidence from education/ work experience activities • Education (Most recent 1st) Key subjects • Work Experience (Most recent 1st) Duties – what did you do, how did it develop you • Achievements • Interests / Activities. What do they say about you – evidence of skills / abilities • References

12. CV content – a) Personal Details

13. CV content – b) Placement Objective (optional) • Short, snappy opening statement to set the scene for the employer. • Provide a summary of your current status, previous experience, relevant skills and longer term career ambition. • If uncomfortable with this type of ‘sales pitch’ or are short of space include the above in the covering letter.

14. CV content – c) Skills Profile (Skills based CV) • Some common headings are: Communication/Interpersonal TeamWork LeadershipProblem solvingUsing initiativeOrganisationalICT • Be explicit but concise when demonstrating evidence of your experience and skills. • You can draw upon your employment, educational and extra curricular activities if they demonstrate relevant skills.

15. CV content – d) Education • Start with your most recent qualification first. • Include dates and results – as you have not received your result yet, write ‘expected’ next to the result. • The amount of detail you write about your degree may depend on its relevance to the position you are applying for. It is up to you how you market your degree/subject package.

16. CV content – e) Work Experience • Include: • Employer’s name • Location • Your job title • Description of duties involved • N.B. all experiences are relevant!

17. CV content – f) Additional Skills/Information • Awards / Certificates • Driving license • IT (name packages) • Language Skills

18. CV content – g) Achievements (optional) • If you have a number of achievements that you wish to highlight

19. CV content – h) Interests/Activities • Community Involvement • Sports – active participation • Volunteering / Adventure Travel (not family holidays) • Clubs / Societies / Hobbies - office bearer – leadership skills • Music – instrument etc • Etc - must make it relevant and demonstrate a skills/ability

20. CV content – i) Referees • Some choose to write ‘References available on request’ if they are running out of room. • Make sure you gain a referee’s permission before citing their name. • If you have space and choose to include references’ details then you need:NameJob titleAddressTelephone numberFax number or email address

21. Covering Letter • Purpose:to market yourself and your motivation…to highlight that you have what they are looking for • The covering letter gives you the opportunity to get recruiters interested in you and your CV so every CV needs one!

22. Covering letter tips: Style • Word-processed, unless requested otherwise • Consistent font with your CV • One page of A4 only • Three or four paragraphs • Keep to the point • Use clear language • Yours faithfully/Yours sincerely

23. Covering Letter • Address it to a named person if possible • Include: • Why you are writing • What interests you in the job • Your key selling points related to the job, i.e. key skills, qualifications, experience • Why you want to work for their company • Positive, enthusiastic ending expressing your willingness to discuss your application in an interview

24. Last but not least... • Make sure you get your CV checked before sending it out. • Save it as a .pdf if you’re going to email it. • If you’re posting it – don’t fold it