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Tips and Advice to Help You Write a CV

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Your Curriculum Vitae (CV), or Resume, is your personal advertisement and chance to make a good first impression with a prospective employer. There is a lot riding on this first impression with up to 90% of CVs being rejected by recruiters in as little as 8 seconds. Understanding what recruiters are looking for in these crucial seconds will help you write a first-class CV which can help you move to the next stage of the recruitment process. Following the below tips and advice will help you make a great first impression every time.

Personal Information

The first section of your CV should always be your personal information. This does not need a title and is where you state your full name and contact details including address, telephone number(s) and email address(es).

It is becoming increasingly common to only include the town and country in the address, however, you may also include your full postal address if you prefer. Please also make sure any email address you provide is professional and appropriate.

If your LinkedIn profile is accurate and up to date, you may also choose to include it in this section. It is no longer considered appropriate to include personal information such as marital status, religion, age or ethnicity.

Introduction

Next should be some form of introduction, career objective or personal statement. Clearly explain, in a sentence or two, why you are the best person for this particular job, or what experience you have to offer.

Work Experience

List your work experience in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent or current position. You should also provide volunteering or internship positions in this section. Each position should be listed separately and include the following information:

Company name;
Your position title;
Duration of employment - the month and year you commenced to the month and year you finished. If still currently employed, use month and year of commencement to "present" or "current";
A summary of duties performed; and
Any notable achievements. It is always recommended to quantify any achievements if possible. Instead of writing "I increased sales during this time", say how much you increased sales by - "I increased sales by 17% during this time".

Don't leave large gaps in your work history. If possible, provide a reason for any gaps, for example, travel, maternity leave or studying.

Education and/or Training

Include the name of your University or College, graduation date and the title of your Degree(s). It is unnecessary to include high school information unless you did not attend college. You should also include all the details of any additional training or study you have undertaken if it is relevant to the position.

Other Sections - As Required

Depending on the position you are applying for, you may consider including some or all of the following:

Certificates;
Licenses;
Publications;
Honors or Awards;
Technical skills; or
Other skills.

Remember to only include information if it is relevant.

Formatting

The perfect length for a CV will be argued as long as the earth turns, however, the general consensus is around two pages. For a highly-skilled, technical position, an additional page may be required. It is unlikely you will fit all of the above information on just one page, so clear formatting is a must.

Make sure you use a clear, easy to read font in an appropriate size. Fancy fonts look great on your personal projects but do not present a professional image in your CV. If you are printing your CV, serif style fonts are the clearest and easiest to read - Times New Roman, Georgia and Century Gothic are serif style fonts. For electronic versions, sans-serif styles make for easier reading - Arial, Helvetica and Calibri are popular sans serif fonts.

Font size is also important. 11 or 12 point font is the most popular, however, it may be appropriate to increase or decrease slightly in certain situations. It is not recommended to go below 9 point or above 14 point in the main body of your CV.

Use headings, bullet points and short sentences. Do not be afraid of white space. White space can increase readability, and keeping the recruiter reading is your main goal.

Check spelling, grammar and formatting. Then check it again. If necessary, check a third time. Make sure you use the same margins, font and size throughout. If you have any doubts at all, ask someone else to check it for you too. Spell check is great, but there are times when you have used a correctly spelled word in the wrong place. Spell check will not single out "from" when you really meant to say "form".

Customize

Your CV needs to be customized for each individual position you are applying for. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all as you will want to highlight different experiences and skills for each particular role you apply for. Taking time to research your prospective employer and adjusting your CV to meet their requirements will be obvious to the recruiters and may help you land an interview.

Keep it Current and Accurate

Keep your CV current at all times. It is easier to update your latest achievements, certificates and training as they occur, rather than scramble to remember what you did and when if you find yourself applying for a position.

It's not ok to lie or exaggerate on your CV. It can be hard to give ourselves credit for things we have done well but don't cross the line by making things up. You will be found out at some stage and that could make for an embarrassing situation. You have things to be proud of, point them out in a clear, non-bragging way. If you follow these tips, you can write a CV which stands out from the crowd and gets the right attention from the recruiter.