cv template

Your CV is an extremely important document that will reflect your skills, experience, qualifications and relevant personal information to a potential employer.

Whatever the job, whatever the company, there are some essential rules of writing CVs that any potential employer will expect you to have followed.

Below you will find some advice on how to best present your CV along with an example format.

1) Tailor your CV to your situation and the role advertised

Make sure what is most relevant and recent to you is listed first. For example if you are a new or recent graduate make sure your education is listed directly after your personal profile. Alternatively if you have gained a number of years work experience then list your work history first followed by your education details.

If you are applying for a particular job look carefully at the language used in the job advert and the skills and experience identified as being essential to the job role. When discussing the skills you have in your CV be sure to use the same terminology used in the job advert, that way, employers can quickly identify that you have what they require.

2) Make your CV concise

Remember that your CV is a vital tool to enable you to get an interview, nothing more. Whilst you need to be informative, your CV merely indicates what experience and skills you have. The interview is where you have the opportunity to explain in detail what you have written in your CV.

Using bullet points on your CV or Resume can force you to write shorter, more concise and focused sentences that will grab the reader's attention. Making your CV concise doesn't mean leaving out large sections of your employment or education history - you need to be able to summarise your experience by drawing out the most relevant skills and knowledge gained.

A concise CV or Resume is one that gets straight to the point; you don't want the person reading your CV to lose interest. Your CV or Resume is much more likely to stand out and make an impression if it is succinct.

Ideally your CV should be no more than 2 pages of A4 in length. If you feel that you have further relevant information to add to a job application this can be provided in a covering letter.

3) Account for gaps

Any unaccounted for gaps in education or career history must be explained or the reader may think you're hiding something.

If you had a gap year, took a year out from work, went traveling or were unemployed for a significant amount of time then this needs to be addressed in your CV.

Normally, any gaps over 2-3 months will require a short explanation.

4) Make your interests, interesting

All too often candidates will not include an Interests section on their CV; however employers want to know that you are a rounded individual and may ask you about your leisure pursuits in the interview. So, if you've got interests and hobbies make sure these are included.

Download File

Click here to download the Template (.pdf)