One thing that always crops up in conversation with our candidates is questions about how to write the best CV possible. Although we are always at the end of a phone to help with this, we thought we’d put our main advice onto a blog post for easy access for you all!

As well as this, Laura has been running lecturing for various colleges and Universities over the last 5 years and her incredible expertise have been highly sought after – so we thought we could try and help as many people as possible and write a blog that people can always refer to out of our office hours.

The CV is often the first thing a possible employer will see from you, so it’s super important to get it right. It’s the first impression of you as a person and as a possible employee.

So, what basics should a good CV include?

  • Your name, address, email & phone number
  • A personal profile at the start (a basic ‘blurb’/summary about you, summarising your key skills and goals)
  • Your employment history (from most recent and work backwards – include details of your day-to-day duties under each, remember to include dates, role and where)
  • Your education & qualifications (once again starting from most recent and working backwards, remember to include dates, where and grades)
  • Any relevant information about hobbies, interests and voluntary work (keep this section as relevant as possible, but also show a bit of personality and interest)
  • You don’t need to include exact details of your referees, but it is good practice to say you have references available

Always check your grammar is correct, it’s formatted and presented well, and it represents YOU! It is often good to get someone close to you to look it over in case there is something important about you that you have missed. Try to keep it to two pages – if you have loads of previous work experience but it isn’t applicable to the job you’re applying to, there is no harm in writing ‘Previous work experience available upon request’.

So, on the other hand, what’s not good to put in?

  • Try to be as concise as possible – keep all info relevant, don’t list extensive unnecessary details!
  • With that in mind, try and use bullet points instead of long paragraphs when describing your previous roles
  • Don’t be afraid of using ‘white space’ – you don’t need to cram lots of information to fill room, make it easy as possible to read
  • Never complain about previous roles – stay professional!
  • Avoid weird fonts & formatting – keep it clean, clear and professional
  • Don’t be scared about being honest – tell them your true qualities, skills, abilities & interests

Overall, the main thing to remember is this is a summary of you. Who you are, what experiences you have and what you want moving forward. Do you want to do something specific in the future that’s relevant, e.g. a certificate? Put it on! Show your determination, excitement and ambition.

If you need any more help, get in touch, we’re here to help! CV help is part of the VNR experience as a candidate with us, we’ll help you to create a CV that really show who you are and your talents.

For more information on CV’s or how we work, contact us on:

info@vnrecruitment.co.uk

01904 471 400