cv advice

A CV is the only part of the recruitment process that you control and is the first point of contact in which you have the opportunity to showcase all your skills and experience. The CV will not secure you the job but is responsible for securing you the interview.

• Always type your CV using a clear font such as Arial, ensuring the size is no smaller than 11pt
• Always check your spelling and grammar using a dictionary
• Ensure all dates and qualifications are accurate
• Use bullet points, tabs and bold text to make your CV easy to read
• Print your CV on good quality paper
• Your CV should be clear and concise and should be limited to between two and four pages. Companies do not have time to read CVs that are any longer than this

• Name
• Address
• Contact telephone numbers
• Email address if possible
• Nationality and visa details (if applicable)

• Start with the most recent first and include university and college qualifications. Include grades and dates
• If you have an extensive work history, you do not need to give too much detail here. However, if you are looking for your first job, your education will be extremely important

• Start with your current or most recent position, detailing the name of the company and the nature of its business unless this is well known
• State your job title and dates of employment
• Describe your position in detail, bullet pointing your responsibilities, duties and main achievements
• Ensure descriptions of your previous roles are kept fairly brief, unless particularly relevant, as your current or most recent position is of more interest to an employer
• Do not leave any gaps on your CV – if you have taken time out to travel, say so

• Be specific – your interests can reveal a lot about you
• Don’t list interests for the sake of it – you may get questioned about them

• It is not necessary to list references on your CV. A simple sentence saying ‘available on request’ will suffice, just make sure you have them when requested

• This is the area of your CV where you can sell yourself. It is here you should list your skills and strengths and why you would be right for the position you are applying for

• Keep your CV to the point
• List your technical knowledge first in an itemised fashion. Use as many buzzwords as you can conjure up which reflect your work and academic experience. List all operating systems and UNIX flavours you know. List all programming languages and platforms with which you are experienced. List all software you have thoroughly used. Many agencies use free text searching and listing all your technical knowledge would help this a lot
• Make sure it looks tidy and professional
• Proof-read! Catch all spelling and grammar errors and ensure you are consistent. Ask someone else to proof-read it too to catch any hidden mistakes

• Sell yourself short – this is by far the biggest mistake of all CVs, technical and otherwise. Your experiences are worthy for review by hiring managers. Be sure to thoroughly sell yourself by highlighting all of your strengths
• Use slang
• Waste money on special bond paper, matching envelopes or any colour paper. Your CV will be photocopied, faxed and scanned numerous times, defeating any special paper efforts