This guide provides essential tips for writing a standout CV that effectively demonstrates a candidate's suitability for a job. It emphasizes tailoring the CV to meet employer needs, focusing on relevant skills and experiences, and engaging employers from the beginning. Key sections include a personal profile, skills, employment history, education, and hobbies, while also advising against including unnecessary personal information or lengthy descriptions.

1. A Guide to CV Writing

2. What a CV should be
• CV's are not a tool that a job seeker uses to get a
job.
• CV are a tool for an employer to access whether
you're the right person for the job
• Think like an employer. What do they need to
know in order to access whether your the right
person for the job. Not what you want to tell
them.
• Using this method ensures that your CV only
includes relevant information that's going to get
you an interview.

3. Why a great CV is important
• In today's job market your CV needs to be
better than the potential thousands of other
candidates.
• When unemployment is low CV’s can be
simply enough to get you an interview.
• When unemployment is high it has to be good
enough to get you the job. The interview just
confirms the decision an employer made
when reading your CV.

4. This guide aims to teach you
• How to write a CV which will stand out to an
employer.
• Successfully demonstrate that you are the right
person for the role.
• The ideas presented in this guide are very
different to what you may have been told before.
• Approach this with an open mind. The traditional
way may be easier but your CV is never going to
stand out if it looks the same as everyone else's.

5. Personal Profile
• A personal profile is an abstract of the rest of
your CV
• There should not be anything included which
is not described in greater detail later on in
the CV.
• It should include;
– a description of what work you're looking for
– why you're looking for work within this industry
– your key abilities/achievements that set you apart
from the crowd

6. What should be included?
• A CV can be split into 5 main area's;
• Personal profile - An abstract what will be outlined in
the rest of the CV.
• Skills - a list of the skills you have which match the skills
an employer is looking for with descriptions/examples.
• Employment history - A list of the
employment/volunteering experiences you have had.
• Education and training - A list of the qualifications you
have obtained.
• Hobbies and interests - some background on the things
you enjoy doing.

7. The clues in the name - Make it personal
• Don't use broad sweeping statements
• "I am a team player but can work on my own
initiative" tells us nothing unique about the
person,
• Listing multiple, often un-related skills, waste
vital space and become tedious to read.
• Instead focus on your main abilities and
achievements, that set you apart from the
rest.

8. Engage an employer
• This is the first thing employers read so it
should grab their attention.
• CV's need to be engaging from the beginning.
• It needs to focus on telling the employer
what's really important.
• Think about your key abilities. What have you
done that you want the employer to know
first and focus on this.

9. Show some character
• Don't be afraid to use your own language.
• Over use of buzzwords are likely to make your
profile sound dull and faceless.
• Employers employee people with personality
so don't be afraid to demonstrate yours.

10. Keep it short
• This is not the time for your life history.
• A personal profile should be around 100
words.
• Keep it short, sweet and to the point.
• There are plenty of opportunities to expand
on your vast skill set, history and
achievements later on.
• Just like any good introduction it should leave
the reader wanting more.

12. Skills section
• This is something often neglected on CV or
consists of skills with no explanation.
• However this is the section where you can
really show that you're the best person for the
job and set yourself apart.

14. • Target driven - I am a naturally motivated individual who works best
when given challenging goals. Within my current role I am targeted
on making 10 sales each week which I have consistently exceeded.
• Complaint handling - I always strive to resolve customers issues in a
way in which is both in line with the organisations procedures while
ensuring that customers are satisfied with the service they receive.
Within my role as a sales adviser at INSERT ORGANISATION, I would
regularly be required to handle customer complaints and was often
called upon by colleagues to support them when resolving
customer complaints.
• Team player - I am an outgoing individual who enjoys working in
partnership with colleagues to meet targets and create new
innovative ways of working and supporting clients. While working
for INSERT ORGANISATION I would regularly collaborate with co-workers
to create new workshop materials and develop ideas to
reach organisational goals.

15. Skills continued...
• Don't be afraid to use interesting/extreme examples. The
more extraordinary the example the greater the amount of
attention an employer will pay to your CV.
• Make sure these skills are targeted to the role and company
you are working for. You can often get a good idea of what
these skills are from the job specification.
• Do your research. Look at the company's website, read the
job description thoroughly, and where possible speak with
current employees.
• Assess what skills and abilities the company desires and
ensure that you demonstrate that you have these skills.

16. The Five Point Scoring Scale

17. Work History
• A common mistake job seekers make is to provide long detailed descriptions
of their exact role within this company.
• This can be lengthy, often repetitive, and irrelevant descriptions of all your
past work duties.
• Remember an employer is interested in whether you can do the duties
required in the role your applying for, not the duties included in your past
jobs.
• If you have done the skill section well then the details of the relevant skills
appropriate for the job your applying for will be highlighted. Therefore there
is no need to
Company Name 1 Job Title 09/2013 - Current
Company Name 2 Job Title 02/2011 - 09/2013
Company Name 3 Job Title 06/2008 - 02/2011
• Remember to include any volunteer experience, time away from employment
to raise children, care for a relative or go travelling. It fills any gaps on your CV
and also is a valuable that can be applied to the world of work.

18. Education and Training
• Similar to the employment history there is no need to go
into great detail.
• A simple list of the qualifications you have obtained, the
results you gained, and the institution you gained them
from.
Place of Education Course & Qualification Dates
• If these qualifications are highly relevant to the role then
highlight this within your personal profile or skill section
as well as listing it within the education and training
section.

19. Hobbies and Interests
• Think about how your hobbies have led to the
development of your key abilities.
• If the role that requires problem solving abilities,
mentioning that you're a keen chess player will benefit
you CV, stating that you enjoy watching movies
probably won't.
• Avoid mentioning any controversial topics. Certain
political affiliation it can be off putting to employers
and sets you up for unfair bias.
• Keep it short. An employer neither; needs to know nor
has any interest in knowing every interest you have.

20. General things to avoid
• Never write Curriculum Vitae at the top - It is obvious what this
document is and wastes space.
• Incorrect contact information - remember to update phone
numbers ect otherwise you could find yourself wasting weeks of job
searching and not receiving any calls.
• Including personal details - Your age, gender, marital status is
unrelated. You leave yourself open to stereo-typing and unfair bias
and wont have the opportunities to change these opinions like you
will have in the interview.
• Including a picture - You will judged enough on your appearance if
you are invited for an interview. Don't let yourself fall prey to these
biases at the application stage.
• Unsuitable email address - Superstar1, sexygirl1 or a nickname are
not going to be invited for an interview. Similarly don't have your
age in your email e.g. Johnsmith1960. Again this opens you up to
stereo-typing and unfair bias.

21. How long should a CV be?
• As long as it needs to be.
• It is always better for an employer to have more
information than they need, that to not have
enough to make the decision to interview you.
• If your applying for an entry level position it is
likely that you could provide enough evidence to
show that you are capable of doing this role on
one or two pages.
• If you are applying for senior management roles
you are likely to need a much longer CV to
demonstrate all your experience.

22. For more information
• Please download our full guide here
• For support in writing your CV we suggest you
use our downloadable work book for a step by
step support.
• Take a look at our free to use CV templates
here....