What makes a good CV?

Introduction
A good CV sells you to an employer and gets you an interview.
Use positive statements about yourself.
Use a computer to produce your CV.
Use section headings to make information easy to find.
Choose information that presents you in the best way.
Change the order of the information to your advantage.
Make use of bullet points and keep sentences short.
Check your spelling and grammar.
Keep your CV up to date.
Try to keep your CV to two sides of A4 and print it on good quality paper (single-sided).
A good CV is one that gets you an interview! It has to be relevant to the job you’re appling for, or to the organisation you’re sending it to.

A good CV should contain positive, selected information about your skills, qualifications and experience. It should make the person reading it be interested in finding out more about you.

Your CV needs to be well presented and easy to read; the reader should be able to find all the information they need without searching around the document. Using section headings should make this easier.

It should always be up to date and accurate. Don’t stretch the truth or put anything on your CV that you can’t back up with evidence.

You should use a computer to produce your CV. If you don’t have access to one, try your local library.

Use the past tense for previous experience, and try not to use ‘I’. For example, put ‘Supervised five people’ rather than ‘I supervised five people’.

Don’t use long sentences or paragraphs. Try to make use of bullet points to list things like skills and achievements where you can. Set out your information in columns, tables or neat rows. You could use Bold to make a few key points, but don’t underline headings or text.

You should always check what you have written, and then check it again. Check your spelling and grammar (use the spellchecker and a dictionary). Make use of IT, but don’t be a slave to it. Beware of American spellings and words that sound the same but are spelt differently.

When you have checked it, ask a friend or relative to check it. Try reading it out loud to make sure it all makes sense. Careless mistakes on your CV will usually result in rejection.

The person reading your CV will only spend a very short time looking at it. So, it should be as short as you can make it, without losing any important information. Don’t waste valuable space with unnecessary words (like putting Curriculum Vitae at the top – it’s obvious that it’s a CV!).

Make your CV sound professional; don’t go for the humorous approach.

Guidelines suggest that the ideal length is no more than two sheets of A4, or equivalent. This will depend on your experience and the job you’re applying for.

Unless you are applying for certain artistic, graphic design or similar jobs, don’t be tempted to use fancy fonts, colours, layouts, headings or borders. And you don’t need to attach a photograph unless you’re applying for modelling jobs, or unless the employer has asked you to.

If you are emailing your CV to an employer, you could firstly email it to yourself to make sure that it is in the correct format when opened as an attachment.

Online recruitment agencies usually allow you to attach your CV to their registration page.

Printing your CV
You might need to send a paper copy of your CV off in the post, or you might need paper copies to hand in at recruitment agencies, for example.

Don’t print your CV double-sided; print each sheet on a separate piece of paper. Research has shown that anything on the back might get missed.

Choose the best quality paper that you can, and don’t fold your CV if you can help it. White or cream paper with black type seems to be the preferred choice for employers.

Always print a fresh copy of your CV each time; don’t photocopy it. Otherwise, it will look as though you have just run off lots of standard CVs and not given any thought to this particular vacancy or employer.

It will not help you to put your finished CV in a folder, binder or any other presentation stationery – it will make it harder for the person reading it to keep it in the pile of other CVs. Just staple the two sheets together and put your covering letter on top.
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