Hello blog readers and people wanting to perfect their CV!
Now, the CV debate is something that happens everywhere. And I mean everywhere. I can look up on the directgov website about how to write the perfect CV and even that won't tell me, and that's the government! You'd think that their CVs would have to be pretty perfect.
So instead of my usual rant in a blog post, I am going to be far more organised in this one. I want to help people because that's what I enjoy doing the most and if I can help at least one person get a job (or even get one myself, who knows!) then I will think it mission achieved.
So, with that final thought, I say goodnight to you readers and I hope you find something in here helpful. If you want, leave me a comment or shoot me an e-mail, which is found on my profile.
Just remember that the mystery of the CV will always remain just that: a mystery.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- What is a CV?
- Why is it helpful to me?
- How do I format this?
- Things to include in your CV
- Things to avoid including in your CV
- General tips and tricks about the CV
- ENTIRE CV AS A GIFT TO YOU [use as a template!]
1. What is a CV?
A CV is a curriculum vitae, a document of one to two pages long. It highlights your skills, education, something of your personality, interests and experience. This is the one thing that an employer will see before they see you. Think of it like having an interview through your CV, as this is how they get to know you.
But don't be fooled into thinking that an employer will spend hours reading your CV: they won't. They simply don't have the time and when faced with 60 CVs a day, you need to make sure yours is a stand alone CV. [See: formatting for tips on how to make it stand alone]
A CV is meant to contain a lot of buzz words. These are words or phrases like "hard working" or "motivated". These are often keyed in as specifications in the job description, but word is that there is a darker side to these buzz words. Computers are programmed to highlight those words in a CV and should there not be enough of them, or the correct ones, the CV is never even sent to the employer. [See: General tips and tricks for a list of buzz words]
This is generally what a CV is: an interview before an interview. Read on to find out more information about how to format and what buzz words to include. At the end there is a selection of tips, too, as we all need them.
2. Why is it helpful to me?
As mentioned previously, this is the first thing an employer will see about you. They will see what experiences you have had, skills you have, personal achievements and a small paragraph about yourself normally of three of four lines.
These are not always requested, however. In most online applications they will ask you to fill out an application form highlighting every detail and then ask for a CV as a supporting document. It is important to make sure that the CV is tailored to this job as sending a general CV would mean bad news. The company will not accept a general one, and will feel more likely to hire you if you tailor something to them. This doesn't mean name dropping, however (I tried that before and it didn't work, I promise)
Think of a CV as a stepping stone to an interview. If that stepping stone was gone, or sunk when you stood on it, you wouldn't ever be able to reach the interview, or the desired goal of getting a job. It is a vital thing!
3. How do I format this?
Good question! How do people format their CVs and make them look good for a potential employer?
As mentioned before, employers will only scan read these things and they certainly won't sit down with a cup of tea and read it as if they were reading a paper. Hand written CVs are, sadly, not accepted anymore. This means that a typed CV is the way to go, even if it is heart breaking for those who are a fan of the old pen and paper.
One tip I found interesting when researching what makes a good CV was that you should use a "friendly font" at size 10 or 12pt. Some of the fonts suggested were Arial or Times New Roman. Now, is it more or does
Times New Roman look like a seething and spindly Grandfather who is secretly judging your every move?
Those of you who have changed all fonts to one desired font on all your webpages won't get this section, but that sentence was typed in Times New Roman... A font I am not fond or nor do I think is friendly. But I digress. A nice font that you find preferable is the best way to go, just make sure it is readable because an employer won't waste time trying to read a CV sent to them in windings.
Bullet points are your friend in this instance. Although some people don't like them for whatever reason, they will help you in this case. Below, I have written a paragraph about skills obtained and then for the second example, I have bullet pointed them. It's amazing to see the difference:
EXAMPLE #1: THE PARAGRAPH
I am a hard-working and efficient person. My time management skills are next to none. I will always regard people the same, no matter their race, colour or creed. Not only that, I am an excellent worker in teams. I get on well with people because I am friendly and like to keep positive. However, I can work well independantly, too, which is a skill I learnt while doing team management at college...
EXAMPLE #2: THE BULLETS
- Hard-working
- Efficient in all aspects
- Perfect time management skills
- Non-judgmental and friendly person
- Team player that can also work independantly
You see the difference between the two? While in the first there was room to go an waffle about things you did in college (wouldn't you like to know!), the second example has no room for that. The bullet points not only make it neater, but stop ranters like myself going on about everything and the kitchen sink. Wonderful!
As a side note, employment history, experience and education should all be put into a table and squished together as much as they can be. There is no room for fancy fonts and spaces in these sections because it will just take up space.
If you are listing your qualifications and you have a bulk of them, format them as follows:
Grades obtained: English Language X,
English Literature X, Maths X, Science X, Applied Science X, ICT X, Applied ICT X, Graphic design X, Art and Design X, Religious studies X
AWARDING BODY: YYYY
This is how compact it should be across all sections. Where the X is, that is where your grade should go. I haven't put a space between each subject studied and I haven't tabbed the grade away to another section of the page. This is all about making space for bigger and better things later on!
Employment history should be much the same: compact. If you keep reading, you will find out what to include in the employment history. This section is just for formatting! (That last sentence being mainly to me, because I love to type out more than I have to...)
4. Things to include in your CV
As a general rule of thumb, there are things that should be included in your CV, such as telephone number, e-mail address, home address and your name (of course). There are things, however, that can be added should they be relevant to the job you are applying for. These could be:
A PROFILE:
A profile is quite a handy thing to include in a CV. It is a three to four sentence paragraph that highlights, very quickly, your experience and suitability. The best place for this to go is at the very beginning of the CV after your personal details. This means that the employer will see it almost immediately and this could be how you sell yourself to them.
An example of a good profile would be:
A dynamic and experienced Office administrator with proven abilities looking for work in a large firm in assisting with daily office tasks and assisting the team in work. Hard working, reliable and with the ability to work well in a pressurised environment.
In this, there are no mention of skills whatsoever. It is simple, straight to the point and avoids babble. This means that the employer will immediately see that you are experienced, and will be more likely to read on as you have perked their interest. A bad example would include listing off skills, being too long and boring to even contemplate reading and badly written. It needs to be neat and concise because otherwise, you'll get chucked in the bin. (Well, your CV will!)
A LIST OF SKILLS:
As mentioned in the formatting, skills are important. Instead of opting for paragraph, highlight your skills in a way that an employer can read quickly. This means that they will have more time to spend reading through the rest of your CV, as they have not had to wade through tons of information.
Now would be a good time to highlight any skills you have learnt on a course at college, or done in previous roles. Depending on what you're wanting to do with your life, this is the time to really sell yourself. As I want to work in an office as a personal assistant or what have you, mine are typing speeds, minute taking, business travel etc. The list would read as such:
- Typing speed of 65 wpm
- Minute taking skills
- Trained in planning business travel
- Hard-working
- Efficient
- Excellent time management skills
- Team player who can also work independently
Instantly, there is a list of skills and personal qualities that should leaver you into the the next section of life: the job interview.
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:
Employment history can either include the last one, two or if properly formatted the last however many jobs you have had. In the section about formatting, I breifly mentioned squishing the whole thing together and not putting spaces everywhere. Although it might look neater, it will take up space.
In employment history, you should put: a job title, company you were employed with, date started and date finished (if applicable) and a list of duties/sentence about what you did. This shouldn't take up too much space on the CV, as you may have more than one to put on there.
An example of an employment record:
2009 - to date: NAMELESS COLLEGE, KENT
Office administrator and personal assistant to Dave Pierce
Voluntary position involving filing, photocopying and planning taster days for students interested in joining courses in the admin sector. Use of Sage software for updating accounts.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING:
As mentioned in the formatting section, education and training can be kept neat and tidy. However, it is important to highlight any education you have received as it may be the difference of getting the job and not.
Include the date of receiving the qualification. It doesn't have to be day specific, and can just highlight the year. Another way of formatting your grades obtained would be to have the year and then group it so that it reads:
2009 High School, Kent
GCSE Levels: maths, english, science, ICT
This doesn't include the grade that was obtained, however, so this might be better for someone who has had a lot of work experience and isn't relying on their grades to get them a job (like certain people writing this!)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
A simple section at last! This is to highlight anything you feel is relevant to the position that you've not mentioned or something that you feel might boost your chances, such as having a driving license and your own car.
HOBBIES & INTERESTS:
It's not all doom and gloom! This section should be short an sweet, but it will give you a chance to show more of your personality than the rest of your CV. An example of a hobbies and interests section would read:
Arts, crafts, working out at the gym, writing, blogging, working on website design and taking the dog for a walk
It's very simple and easy and really shows who you are as a person as much as it can. Try to avoid putting negative things on there, though, as this is a selling point and if the employer managed to read this far, you won't want to muck it up!
5. THINGS TO AVOID INCLUDING IN YOUR CV
There is a short list of things you won't want to include in your CV. Avoid putting your date of birth, marital status, nationality, bank details, national insurance number and the personal details of your references. In case of references, simply put "references as requested". All this helps to combat inequality in the workplace and as CVs are simply thrown away or maybe shredded, personal details of importance being taken by unlawful people.
It's also best if you don't use a comical or stupid e-mail address. If you have to, make a new one with your name and just use that one as a work e-mail address, which is what I do. Some people put sexxiixoxobabexoxo@hotmail.co.uk as their contact e-mail and it really gives off the wrong message, don't you think?
6. GENERAL TIPS AND TRICKS ABOUT THE CV
Horray! We made it to the last leg of the battle with the CV. I tell you, it couldn't have come soon enough because I do want that cup of tea now.
BUZZ WORDS:
You can type "action words", "buzz words" or "positive job words" into Google and find a number of different ones. A few of these could be:
Acted, Influenced, Recommended, Supplied, Supported, Clarified, Introduced, Volunteered, Set criteria, Enabled, Guided, Handled, Skilled, Solved, Economically, Willingly, Designed, Increased...
Etc. Etc. ETC.
If you are applying online, they will generally have the "buzz words" in the description of the job. They will be disguised, but I'm sure with some prodding you will be able to find them. Phrases such as "independent worker essential for this role" would mean that you need to have independent worker SOMEWHERE on your CV-- but now I've gone through it all, I'm sure you know where! [Hint: skills]
One thing to remember is that the top half of the CV is everything that will be read, so make sure that that bit is the most interesting and packed with your skills and your profile. Of course, the way I've suggested it to you is just a suggestion and you can remodel it, but this CV layout is the best for any type of work.
And as an added gift to you, below is a special example of an ENTIRE CV, copied and pasted together from the information I have provided to you in here. I hope it helps you and I'll be posting up some more blogs tomorrow. I enjoy doing life updates for you!
7. ENTIRE CV AS A GIFT TO YOU
GEORGINA BENNETT
123 FAKE STREET, FAKE TOWN, FAKE COUNTY
MOBILE: 0384950607 HOME TELEPHONE: 013934 34345
E-MAIL ADDRESS: GEORGINABENNETT1993@HOTMAIL.CO.UK
Profile and skills: A dynamic and experienced Office administrator with proven abilities looking for work in a large firm in assisting with daily office tasks and assisting the team in work. Hard working, reliable and with the ability to work well in a pressurised environment.
- Typing speed of 65 wpm
- Minute taking skills
- Trained in planning business travel
- Hard-working
- Efficient
- Excellent time management skills
- Team player who can also work independently
Experience: 2009 - to date: NAMELESS COLLEGE, KENT
Office administrator and personal assistant to Dave Pierce
Voluntary position involving filing, photocopying and planning taster days for students interested in joining courses in the admin sector. Use of Sage software for updating accounts.
Education: 2004 - 2009 HIGH SCHOOL, KENT
Grades obtained: English Language X, English Literature X, Maths X, Science X, Applied Science X, ICT X, Applied ICT X, Graphic design X, Art and Design X, Religious studies X
AWARDING BODY: YYYY
Additional information: Full, clean driving license since 2004
Hobbies: Arts, crafts, working out at the gym, writing, blogging, working on website design and taking the dog for a walk
REFERENCES AS REQUESTED