Building a CV can be a huge challenge and it can be difficult to know where to start! There are several sections that should be included in your CV. We will break each down for you to help you create the perfect CV for applying to your dream job!
Contact Details
This section should include your full name, postcode, mobile number, and email address. Depending on the type of role that you are applying for, you may want to include a picture of yourself and any links to your socials, such as LinkedIn. Or a portfolio if you have one!
Personal Profile
In this section you should list your key attributes, the aspects of you that make you stand out from the crowd. Ask yourself three questions; Who am I? What can I offer? What are my career goals? This should help the employer understand exactly who you are before reading the rest of your CV.
Skills Summary
For this section, first review the job description. Job descriptions usually contain up to ten skills, by highlighting these and relating them to yourself you are already one step ahead of other applicants! Make sure to include both hard and soft skills. Hard skills are specific abilities such as knowledge of specific software packages. Soft skills are personal attributes such as having excellent communication skills. Another tip is to avoid overused skills that aren’t listed in the job description such as ‘Teamwork’, although beneficial this may come across too generalised.
Employment History
Ensure that your employment section is formatted correctly with your most recent job at the top followed by your previous jobs. Clearly include your job title, the company name, and the length of time you worked there. Highlight any achievements from previous roles, such as hitting KPI’s or receiving a promotion. Finally, make use of ‘Power Verbs’ such as ‘optimised’, ‘developed’ and ‘supported’, this keeps the employer interested whilst reading your CV.
Education History
For this section copy the format of your Work Experience section. List your qualifications starting with the most recent, including the date that you completed them. Highlight any achievements and keep the reader interested by utilising your power verbs.
Interests
This section is used to give the employer insight of what you are like outside of work. This gives you the chance to add some personality to your CV. Avoid generic statements such as ‘I like reading’ or ‘I enjoy going for a run’ – we all tried Couch to 5K in the lockdown we don’t want to hear about it! Instead try and choose interests that are unique to yourself, such as ‘I run my own blog where I post weekly about fashion and lifestyle trends’.
Bonus Tips
- Make sure your CV is no more than two pages long.
- If you are writing a creative CV, edit your CV to match the company colours and themes of the role that you are applying for.
- Try not to open every sentence with ‘I am…’ or ‘I did…’.
- Use professional fonts that are easy to read and a font size of 10, 11 or 12.
- Name the document when saving so that it is clear to employers what it is e.g., ‘Joe Bloggs CV’.
So, there you have it! You have all the information you need to create a perfect CV to begin your job hunt with. Want to know more? Or do you want additional hints and tips to get accepted for that dream job? Follow our social channels to find out!
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