Writing your CV

Your CV should be a snap shot of your career to date and relevant to the post that you are applying for. A good CV needs to be accurate, concise with a summary of your qualifications, experience, skills and your suitability for a particular role.

Ensure that you pay particular attention to detail and eliminate any grammatical or punctuation errors.

There is not a single way to construct a CV as it is your own and personal to you however your CV should include some of the details set out below:

Personal details - Your name, address and full contact details. Take care to avoid superfluous details, such as religious affiliation, children's names and so on.

Summary Profile - A one-paragraph profile that sums up your professional and personal attributes, such as:

Key roles you’ve completed to date
- Your experience in a specific sector or industry,
- Your ‘distinctive selling points’, e.g. you are a team player, a practical thinker and a problem solver etc.

Work experience - The most widely accepted style of employment record is the chronological CV. Career history should be presented in reverse order starting with most recent. It should include your start and finish dates, job title, employer, key responsibilities and achievements. You should take into account any career gaps.

Your education – from secondary school onwards, with names of schools, colleges or universities, attendance dates and qualifications gained.

Your skills and professional or specialist qualifications – including any relevant training courses you’ve completed.

Details of any software packages you’re familiar with and level of proficiency e.g. basic, intermediate and advanced in Microsoft packages.

A quick overview of your life outside work – include hobbies, sporting activities and personal interests.

How to present your CV
Lay your CV out clearly and logically, using short sentences, bullet points, and a single typeface. Your CV should not be longer than two A4 Sheets of paper. 

Be truthful and accurate. If you are invited to an interview you should be able to talk confidently through any point on your CV. Tailor your CV to emphasise skills and experiences that match the role you’re applying for.

Keep your CV up to date. New experiences, skills and qualifications will improve your value.

You should always attempt to provide a covering letter. Draw on your skills from your CV and illustrate how it’s applicable to the role that you are applying for and what you have to offer. Your covering letter could give you that extra edge over another applicant.
 
Try not to include:

- Your reasons for leaving each job on your CV but be prepared to answer these questions in your interview.
- Current salary details.