There are different CV styles, so use the one which best matches the role and the stage you’re at in your life or career.
•    traditional CV or chronological CV: lists your work and education history, starting with the most recent
•    skills-based or targeted CV: focus on your job-related skills and personal qualities
•    technical CV: used in professions like IT and engineering, it highlights the skills you have that are important in your industry
•    creative CV: used in creative and digital arts and can link to an online portfolio, contain video or infographics, or include digital         tools that make you stand out from the crowd
•    academic CV: generally longer than a traditional or skills-based CV and often used for teaching and research careers

​

Elements of a CV structure

​

Personal profile: a few short lines that sum up who you are and what you hope to do. It should go just under your name and contact details.  Think about the job you want and what the employer is looking for. Make your profile sound like you're the right person for the job.
 

Education:  add this section after your personal profile if you’re early on in your career, or if you don’t have much work experience. You’ll need to include the:
•    names of your qualifications
•    school, college, or university where you studied
•    dates you attended

If you’re older/more experienced and have had a number of jobs, you might want to change the order and show your work history and skills first.
 

Work Experience: If you are putting together your CV for a specific role, use the job advert for the role you’re applying for, refer to the:
•    job description
•    person specification
•    company details

Think about how your skills and experience match what the employer is looking for and gather the information you’ll need, including:
•    your qualifications
•    your past jobs and volunteering experience
•    your past employers' details
•    evidence of any training courses you’ve completed

​

Include placements, volunteering, and any paid jobs you’ve had. You should list these with the most recent first, and include:
•    the employer's details
•    the job title
•    the dates you worked there
•    what you did, usually 2 to 3 lines
Use active words to highlight your strengths and skills, to describe things you've done like:
•    organised
•    created
•    built
•    managed
•    planned

Give positive examples of your achievements rather than just listing responsibilities. Use the STAR method to help. If you’ve had a lot of jobs, you can use a skills-based CV to group them.

​

STAR =

• situation - the situation you had to deal with

• task - the task you were given to do

• action - the action you took

• result - what happened as a result of your action and what you learned from the experience

 

If you have gaps in your work history, a skills-based CV is useful when you have gaps in your work history. Give examples of skills you've developed during the times you were out of work and how you got them.

​

There are lots of free resources to create a CV template, have a go on a word document by opening a new document under templates and select one from the available resume templates. 

​

Ten Top Tips

When writing your CV remember to:
•    research the company and the job before you start
•    choose a CV style that fits your situation or one that employers in that sector prefer
•    use a clear font like Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri, size 11 or bigger, and always use the same style throughout
•    use headings, bullet points, and spacing to break information up to make it easier to read
•    be clear and to the point and keep it to 2-3 sides of A4
•    Matching the words you use to the keywords in the job description, helps when using AI too.
•    get someone else to read it, and double-check your spelling and grammar

•    Don't put anything on your CV that you can't back up or prove - it will bite you later

•    Ensure the email address on your CV is suitable for the audience intended.
•    save a backup copy and convert it to PDF format for emailing