Common Questions & Answers

This page contains advice on writing a CV and making the most of an interview.

 

In short, Yes. 
Your CV is one of the most important documents you will ever have to prepare. It is effectively the first stage of the interview process and a marketing document that should entice the reader into offering you a face to face interview. In order to convince the reader it should give them a picture of who you are and make it as easy as possible for them to read by giving them clear, concise information.

 

You should communicate your strengths, skills, duties, achievements, personality and your suitability for the role. A well-prepared CV adds credibility to your application and a professionally prepared document is an indicator of your ability to perform in a professional role.

There are numerous examples of formats of CVs available to look at on-line. With respect to information on you consider this. Were you to be a fly on the wall when your CV was reviewed, what things would you hope people would notice? What should they know about you? What do you do on a day to day basis? Where are your strengths? What have you achieved professionally and academically? What qualifications do you have? Write all of these down then list them in order with the most relevant to your potential employer coming first.

If potential employers did not progress with your application due to confusion or a lack of information how would you feel? This is a chance to get things right from the start.

·Personal details: - Name, address, e-mail address, telephone numbers day/ evening.

·Date of Birth and nationality.

·Educational and Professional Qualifications including names of establishments attended and grades achieved.

·Employment History. Begin with your most recent or current role and work backwards in reverse chronological order.  
 Your most recent experience is usually of most interest to prospective employers and even in examples where this may not be the case, employers can be un-necessarily confused by unconventional layouts.

·Include your job title, dates of employment, a brief overview of the company or its produce and where you fit in to the company structure.

·List or describe your key responsibilities, strengths and achievements in your current role. Endeavor to demonstrate the depth and breadth of your experience, the progress you have made and where you feel you personally made a difference. TIP. If you get stuck here or want to make sure you covered this thoroughly, sit with some paper and let your mind wander about all you have done in a role. You will produce more information than you thought possible and now  have information to structure.

·Where possible try and put your responsibilities, strengths and achievements in to context to give them more weight.

·If there are gaps in your CV explain them. Failure to do so may create confusion and is then more likely to be detrimental to your application. Waiting for the right role, spending time with family, traveling or what ever it may be are justifiable and increasingly common these days.

·Spell-check the finished document and ensure it is grammatically correct. Failure to do so can create an impression of a lack of care or laziness. These characteristics are rarely sought after by companies!!!

· Keep the document to 2-3 pages; don’t be tempted to tell your life story

· Use the spell check facility. Mistakes are inexcusable in the day and age of the PC and show a lack of attention to detail.

· Use a common typeface such as Courier, Times New Roman and Arial.

· Use bullet points to emphasise key achievements or include key achievements in well written paragraphs if it suits your writing style

· Do not squeeze text too far to the right and have the left half of the page blank

· Graphics, shading, italics, and even bold text can over complicate a CV’s appearance. Let your experience speak for you.

 

What not to include in your CV

· Resist the opportunity of over-hyping yourself. Facts are facts and stand up to scrutiny. Opinions are one persons view point.

· Don’t make false claims as interviewers may research them or trip you up later.

· Don’t put too much emphasis on your hobbies or outside interests. It can be conceived as an attempt to draw an emphasis away from other information.

· Avoid stating your current salary as it may prejudice and employer’s decision on you.