How to prepare and write a CV
General points to remember:-
- Your CV should be no longer than 2 – 3 pages long.
- Your CV should be printed on white paper with black ink, in a plain font.
- Use the past tense when writing a CV, this helps it to sound more powerful.
- Keep it as simple as possible, do not add pictures or bordering.
- You may need to tailor your CV differently for each job application to highlight your most relevant skills.
- Use bullet points rather than full sentences to help minimise work usage.
- Make sure that all dates are correct and that there are no gaps.
- Carefully check a completed CV to ensure it is grammatically correct and free from spelling mistakes.
What you need to include:
Your Full name
Your Contact Details
Your full address, telephone number (s) and email address.
Date of Birth
Marital status
Education / Professional Qualifications
List your education, trades and or professional qualifications in reverse order. Include dates, grades, type of institution and location.
On going training including Health and Safety, CSCS, First Aid at Work etc include renewal dates if applicable.
Finally add any professional memberships.
POSITION REQUIRED – Bold and highlighted gives the prospective employer
Work Experiences
Provide a chronological list of your employment history from present or most recent job backwards; Head this up with the dates employed, Company Name and Position held, any promotions or achievements should be included along with duties and responsibilities you performed in this role.
If you are a freelancer or have a longer career to detail perhaps include the more memorable projects with brief details on standard Bread and Butter jobs. Concentrate on the last 10 years max.
List a few of your principal leisure activities, so that the employer can get an idea of the sort of person you are outside work ie team player, independent, leader etc.
Referees
At this stage we would recommend excluding referees from your CV as these can be given after a successful interview. You may have to use different referees to highlight various skill sets, type of projects etc.
Reason for leaving jobs
Be careful if including this heading as the possibilities for misinterpretation are endless. If you wish to include this then be very clear and not ambiguous eg relocated from Cornwall to Surrey for greater employment opportunities.
Salary
We recommend omitting packages from CV’s as these can be added to accompanying letters or at interview stage
If you would like additional help or advice on how to prepare your CV for optimum results please download a handy CV template or contact the AllTek Team and one of our Consultants will be happy to assist. Contact info@AllTekrecruit.com or telephone your nearest office.
- South West: - 0117 905 8747
- South East: - 020 755 67150
- South Central: - 023 80 682662