How to write a CV

Your CV should be well laid out and easy for the employer to read. You should consider using the bold button as well as underlining and also bullet points to highlight important parts, such as career achievements or jobs that are relevant to the position you are applying for.

Because you are using a computer to produce your CV, you can easily modify it in order to point it at a particular job or employer. Think of your CV as a 2 dimensional part of you, it is important to remember that whether or not you get an interview and then possibly the job, will depend on what is written on your CV. As an example, if you are going for a Pastry Chef interview in a hotel that produces Patisserie, you should make sure that you include any experience you may have in the area of patisserie and not just producing plated desserts in a restaurant. You should think about the job you are applying for and tailor your CV to that job as much as you can using the experience you have but always remember, you need to be truthful at all times or they will almost certainly catch you out at some point.

The employer that is going to read your CV might be very busy and so might not have much time to read CVs or they might skip through them quickly looking at certain parts only. It is because of this that your CV needs to be easy to read, short and tidy and when you have finished the first draft of your CV, ask someone you know to read it over and give you their opinion. Read it through a few times with a red pen to hand and change anything that you're not happy with. Remember, keep it simple and don't over-complicate it.

So you're about to start writing your CV

Start with a piece of paper and look at the job or jobs that you are applying for. Look at how your experience and skills match those that the employer is looking for and if you don't have enough detail on the job description, call the employer and ask for more information.

What to include in your CV

• Personal details
  Your name, address, landline number, mobile number, date of birth, email address and personal webpage (very handy for showing pictures and portfolios which can impress hugely before you've even been to the interview).
• Education
  Put down your places of study, always with the most recent first and work your way back over the years. Make sure you include all qualifications with grades and highlight anything that you feel is important and relates to the job you are applying for.
  Pre-college/university education is still important, you should make sure that you include it all with grades and in a compact and not too detailed way (keep it simple).
• Work experience
  As with your education, you should start with your most recent work first. You should list the employer's name, your position, the duration you were there for (including month and year) and, very importantly, include your job description and any achievements.
• Interests
  It is important not to detail this part too much unless it relates to the job you are applying for. If you have an interest that involves leadership you can expand on this a little but keep random interests, such as music and cycling for example, to a minimum.
  You should also list any languages you have and driving licenses you have obtained.
• References
  Its usual to list 2 references on your CV. If you are in education or are recently out of education list someone from your place of study and also if possible a recent employer, including their position. Make sure that you have the consent of the person before adding them and provide their contact telephone numbers.

Length

There is no set length for a CV although it will be determined my the amount of experience you have to some degree. Some people might fit all the detail on one page, but don't squash it all up, leave plenty of white space and use two A4 sheets if necessary (this is quite normal).

Style
There are two styles that people generally use when writing a CV which are:

• Skills based
  You think about the skills needed for the job that you are applying for, then list all your details under these headings - otherwise known as a 'Targeted CV'. This is much more common than it used to be and can be quite refreshing as your CV may stand out from the crowd and this type of CV is becoming more popular in the UK but is more difficult to execute.
• Chronological (most popular)
  Your details are entered under the usual headings (Person Details, Education, Work Experience, etc) submitting the most recent events first.

Optional extras
It can also be a good idea to include a personal statement on the CV and write it between your Personal Details and your Education. This is basically a summary of your personality and your desires or wants for the future and career aspirations. Keep it quite short, no more than two sentences and it should be up-beat, highlighting the positive aspects of your personality and future goals.