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Cirencester Jobs Guide To Creating A Killer Curriculum Vitae (CV)

The first step when looking for a job is to create a Curriculun Vitae, commonly known as a CV. This page gives you some hints and tips to get your Curriculum Vitae (CV) noticed!

What is a CV?

The term Curriculum Vitae means the story of your life, but don't let that fool you. Your CV should be a consise summary of your career and education to date, more a 3 page summary that a 10 page short story!

Why is having a good CV important?

Your CV is a very important document as it will probably be the first contact you have with your potential new employer. You want to make a good first impression so that the employer is encouraged to offer you an interview. You don't want to put them off enough that they don't even consider calling you for a first interview.

Employers will probably receive many CVs as a result of advertising a job vacancy, especially if the job opening is advertised in the local or national press. With all these CVs to read, you need to ensure that yours stands out from the crowd.

The good news is that many CVs are written very badly, so a little time and effort invested in producing your Curriculum Vitae should pay dividends.

Is my CV just a way of getting offered a first interview?

Your CV is not only your way of encouraging the employer to offer you an interview. You can also use it to highlight your strengths and achievements which could help steer the interview along your track.

Your CV will also continue to work for you after the interview as it may be the way that the interviewer can refesh his memory after seeing a number of job candidates. Make sure that your CV encourages the employer to ask you for a second interview.

What details should my CV contain?

Start with your personal details, you want the employer to know straight away who they are dealing with and how to contact you. Include your full name, address, home telephone number, mobile telephone number, email address, date of birth, marital status and nationality. Also let them know if you have a full driving licence and if you do whether it is clean.

The order of the next two areas that you should include probably depend on the amount of time you have been working.
If you have a long career history, it is probably best to detail this first as results of exams you took at school are probably not as relevant as the jobs you have had since leaving school.

However, if you only have a short career history (perhaps because you have only recently left school, or you are entering the job market after being a home maker) then your education is probably more important.

So what details should you include in your CV about your education?

List the O-Levels (GCSE), A-Levels and university degrees that you have achieved. Then list any professional qualifications, membership of professional associations and any work related training courses you have completed.
If you think that your education is an important factor in you being offered an interview then go into some detail. However, if you have a long career hsitory then you probably should only include brief details.

What details should you include in your CV about your job history?

You should probably concentrate on your two most recent jobs as these will probably be most relevant. Start with your most recent job and work backwards in time.
For each job list the dates of employment, the job title, and the job title of the person you reported to.
Then write a short description of the job concentrating on your areas of responsibility and main job functions. Also include your achievements, but it is probably a good idea to try to aim this part at the position you are applying for. (More of this later)

What other employment/education details should you include in your CV?

This depends a little on the job that you are applying for, but as a guide:

In the computer age in which we live, it is a good idea to list and computer skills you have, including the names of computer packages that you have a knowledge of (for example, Microsoft Word and other word processing software, Sage accounts and other accounting packages, Excel or other spreadsheet software). Also include details of the operating systems you have a knowledge of if you feel that this is relevant.

If you have any foreign language skills give brief details and say why this would benefit the employer. Let them know whether the language skills you have are written, spoken or both.

Is there anything else you should include in your CV?

Finally, add some personal details such as your hobbies and interests. Try to highlight any hobbies that would be of benefit to the employer as well as listing things that might make the employer think that you could be an asset to the company. For example, if you are chairman of the local computer club it could show that you are a good organiser of events and people.

Finally, include details of people who are willing to provide a reference. This should include the person you report to at your current, or most recent, job. Your should ideally give two or three referees, so also include someone at an employer previous to your current employment, and perhaps a personal referee (someone you have known for a long time that can give a personal reference rather than an employment related one).

So in summary, what should your Curriculum Vitae contain?

Personal details, education achievements, work experience, hobbies and interested and referees (both personal and work related).
Ensure that your CV makes the employer want to call you in for an interview and not just throw it in the bin!