CV / Resume writing

How to write a good CV / Resume

A good CV makes the difference between getting an interview and your application being thrown in the bin. With your CV being one of many, recruiters will only read it for a short space of time, so it is extremely important that it is structured clearly, with your best selling points presented in a logical manner and the most relevant information readily identifiable.

All CVs are written and presented differently but here are a few sound words of advice to help with the content, structure and presentation.

Content

To begin with, write out a list of your competencies and skills. Be analytical about yourself and note down your main selling points. CVs need to be logical, clear, concise and simple consisting of short sentences and key points and statements. It is better so leave out 'and' and 'I' throughout and highly important to highlight the important information that the client is looking for and what will match you best to the role. Do not over-exaggerate but be positive and always check the spelling and grammar which are vital to get right.

The most common content of a CV is : Personal Details: Name, Date of Birth, Contact Details, Nationality - Work Permit if relevant.

Education and Qualifications: The full title of your degree and university and any significant exam results, Secondary School and A/AS level subjects and grades. Concentrate on GCSE and beyond.

Work Experience: List the companies that you have worked for, the dates that you worked at them and a brief description of your role. It is important that they are relevant and detailed in short, bullet-pointed statements. Make clear what your individual contribution was using positive language and include your responsibilities and achievements. Back everything up with quantifiable facts, such as size of budgets and results achieved, to make your skills tangible.

Achievements: Think carefully about which examples you include in this section, as employers may deduce a lot from your choice about your motivations and what you regard as important. Employers are only interested in your most recent achievements.

Extra-Curricular Activities: This section on hobbies and interests should be kept short and include information, such as, membership of and positions of responsibility in sports teams, drama societies etc. Any information should have a purpose, showing skills relevant to the role you are applying for and saying something of interest about yourself.

General Skills: Driving licence details, courses attended, foreign languages and IT (include level of proficiency).

References: Unless requested, references need not be given at the initial application stage and a simple "references available on request" should suffice. Employers will ask for references if and when they need them.

Structure and Presentation

First impressions are so important. All sections of the CV must be headed clearly so that it is well presented and easy to read. Skills, experience and achievements need to flow in a logical manner and any dates should be included in chronological order.

Two pages are a standard length. You do not want to bore your reader and stop them from reading but you want to have enough information included to impress. Using page numbers can help if your CV is longer.

Your structure and layout needs to be consistent throughout. Headings and sub-headings, font size and type should be the same. Using different sizes of styles for the headers can help the reader. All text should be justified and there should be a neat balance between text and space. Bullet points are useful to break up a lot of text and black lines can be used to split columns to make it look more professional.

The way your CV looks is subjective and there is no correct way to do this however you must remember to make it easy to read. Remember it is the content that is important and this should vary according to the role.

Finally

When you have finished why not print off a few copies and ask someone to read through it and comment on the structure, presentation and content. You may find that after looking at it for a long time that you have missed something basic.

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Here is a tip from TipTopJob.com

Writing a covering letter

When writing your Cover Letter, the most important thing to remember is never to send out a standardised letter to all companies. They need to be tailored specifically to the company and role and be never more than a short A4 page.

The Cover Letter is the first thing a recruiter sees so it is the most important document to get right. It is your chance to sell yourself to the recruiter in a few sentences. The Cover Letter draws a quick connection between the job you are applying to and your skills and should elaborate on the key points in your CV.

Structure guideline

The first paragraph is the most important; it sets everything up - the tone and focus. Try to provide him/her with a reason to carry on reading your Cover Letter and make the first paragraph an attention-grabbing one!! It is a good idea to begin by addressing the letter to a particular person if you can get hold of this information. This paragraph should be brief and to the point, indicating which job you are applying for (including a job reference number if there is one) as well as the source of your information (newspaper advertisement, personal contact etc) and an explanation as to why you have applied for this job.

Main Body

In the main parts of the Cover Letter, you present your work experience, education, training - whatever makes that connection between you and the job you are seeking. Remember that this is the most important job you have to do in this letter - to enable the reader to see the match between your qualifications and the requirements for the job.

It may be a good idea to split the body into two paragraphs with the first focusing on the needs of the company and role requirements. You need to explain why you have applied to them, indicating the main job requirements. This will show you have done research into the company, tailoring the letter to them to be unique. In the following paragraph you need to match these to your skills and abilities, highlighting why you are right for the job and elaborating your achievements. Try to include information not already on your CV, be positive and confident and write it with a bias to the future rather than the past.

Closing Paragraph

In the last paragraph of the application letter, you can indicate how the prospective employer can get in touch with you and when are the best times for an interview. This is the place to urge that prospective employer to contact you to arrange an interview. It is important to end the letter strongly and on a positive note. End the letter with something like 'I very much look forward to hearing from you' and 'Yours Sincerely' and finally, do not forget to sign and print your name! Once you have written your letter, check it several times for any mistakes you may have made and check all the information you have provided them with is correct and accurate. Align the company address to the left side and your address to the right and make sure the paragraphs are justified, the font is the same throughout the letter and on your CV and that it looks neat and tidy!!

If you are not replying to an advertised position, it is more appropriate to write a speculative letter to a company that you would like to work for. The cover letter will therefore be slightly different, it should begin by stating what work you are particularly seeking, say why you want to work for this company and ask for your CV to be kept and to be contacted if any vacancies open.

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