Writing a CV
(Read time: 6 minutes, 22 seconds)
What is a CV?
A CV gives you the chance to show just how great you are to potential employers. Whether you're applying for part-time work, work experience or jobs when you leave school - your CV will tell employers why they should hire you.
Why should I have a CV?
A CV is what an employer reads before deciding whether to interview you for a job.
When you write one, you're highlighting all your great qualities into one easy to read document.
Your CV should include:
- Basic details like your full name and contact details
- Your qualifications
- Your skills
- Any work experience you have
- Your hobbies or interests
We advise not to include:
- Date of birth
- Full address (town / city is fine)
- Photo (unless it is for a role that needs one, for example, acting)
- Personal information including sex, gender, political views, race
- Any other personal information that could be used for identity fraud
An employer might request a cover letter (click here) or a personal statement (click here) as well as your CV, and both of these will need to be tailored to the specific job.
See our blog here for a CV Builder tool from My World of Work which will be useful!
Contents of a CV
Personal Details:
Name, Town / City, Mobile Number, Email Address
Personal Statement:
Overview of you, your experience and why you are applying for the job. Keep brief, no more than 2 – 4 lines.
Key Skills:
Bullet point all your relevant key skills, starting with the ones most relevant to the job. Try to match to the job description where possible. If you have an unusual but useful skill, add it in! Be specific – don’t just say ‘I have good IT skills’, try for example ‘Proficient in MS Office (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Zoom and Outlook’.
Employment History:
List your employment in order of most recent. You should include your job title, company name, location (town / city), and the dates you started and finished working there – month and year are fine.
Don’t worry if you have only had one job before, and if you have never had a job before just remove this section and focus on your skills and other experiences (team sports, school).
Education History:
List your main education / courses, again starting with the most recent. Make sure you add in what subjects or course you studied.
Hobbies & Interests:
Here it is great to add in what you are interested in from a more personal perspective. This gives an employer the chance to start to see you as a person, and what other skills you might bring to their company or team.
References:
There is no need to include the contact details of your references, but you can say ‘References are available upon request’ to show you will be able to provide one, or more. If you have not worked before a teacher, lecturer, sports coach or other professional who knows you may be able to provide a character reference.
Top Tips for Writing a CV
Use a Template
Template Links
Resume (easy to use, free for one template)
Reed (scroll down in the link to get the download link)
CV Library (scroll down in the link to get the download link)
Updated versions of Word or Pages also have templates for CVs.
Keep it brief and concise
- Keep your CV to one or two sides of A4 max
- Use bullet points
- Keep sentences short and to the point
- Be specific – what you did, what you achieved
- Employers spend on average 30 seconds looking at a CV before deciding whether to give you an interview or not.
Check your CV
- Is it up to date? Do you have any new skills or work experience to add in?
- Have you tailored it specifically for the job you are applying for?
- Read it back to yourself – does it sound like you and your experience?
- Get someone else to read it over
Remember, if you’re finding it difficult to know where to start, talk to someone you trust or us, and we can point you in the right direction. We’re here to help!