Writing a CV - Video Transcript

A CV or résumé is the sales document that you want to write to sell yourself to an employer. It’s a list of your achievements, including your education, qualifications, experience and skills. It’s important you have done all you can to get it right.

Basics

Start with your name in large type. Follow this with your contact details, including your phone, email and address. Avoid using inappropriate personal email addresses and answer phone messages.

Profile

Next is the profile. You want to give the employer a flavour of your enthusiasm and personality, while summarising experience and career aims. This is about unique selling points - but remember, keep it short.

Main body

For the main body of your CV, work out the headings that suit you and the job that you want to apply for. The main sections to include are education, employment experience, skills, interests  and references.

Education
List your educational qualifications with the most recent first. Include the names of institutions, dates, course type, the subject of your courses and your grades. It can be helpful to include key modules from your degree, but a complete list is not required. Dissertations and independent study modules are good examples of project management, so include them separately.

Employment experience
For your employment experience, you usually list your roles with the most recent first. However, you want to make sure your most relevant experience is at the top of the list. List the company name, the dates of your employment, and your job title. Include a brief account of your responsibilities using action words for a positive style.

Skills
In the skills section, list the skills you have in an order which is relevant to the job description.

Interests
Next, write about your interests. This is going to give your employer a sense of your personality, so it should be interesting, rather than informative.

References
Finally, give your references. This is a list of people that can vouch for what you say. You need the referee’s permission to include them on your CV. Once you have their permission, provide their name, job title and contact details.

Daniel Ferrett, Careers and Employment Centre Information Co-ordinator: The purpose of a CV is, it’s a marketing tool, it’s designed to sell yourself to any prospective employer; you have to convey as much as you can on two sheets of A4 paper that makes you attractive to an employer so that they will give you an interview.

So you’ve written your CV – but it’s not ready yet. You need to check it for some key features. (Gestures to individual features on a list next to him).

Make it neat - Use a clear font, layout and margins for easy reading.

Logical - Present education and work experience in a clear order; start with the most recent first.

Clear - Use good English - avoid unnecessary jargon and abbreviations.

High quality - Use good paper and fold it carefully into the envelope.

Competence based - Make sure you demonstrate your skills. Use examples from all areas of your life.

Targeted - Keep employers and job descriptions in mind.

Checked - Get friends and staff to proofread it for you – the spellchecker can only go so far.

Credits

Music:
Kevin MacLeod

Created by:
Jay Hewitt
Heather Cartwright
Stuart Rushton
Fred Stidston
Constance Mabe