CV Tips

Sort out your CV in 10 easy steps

1: Make a first draft

Write down your current job title and list all the things you do and are responsible for on a day-to-day basis. Re-read what you've written and prioritise your responsibilities and activities. Think about what skills you need to do what you do. What have you done in your current role that has made you most proud? Asking yourself these questions will not only get you in a CV frame of mind, it will provide you with the essential information you need to create an effective CV.

2: Choose a format

Now that you've identified the knowledge and experience you have, it's time to decide how to package it. There are three standard types of CV, and each has its uses.
The Chronological CV - This is almost an industry standard. Use it if your work history is stable and each move has seen you climb steadily up the career ladder. Not for frequent job changes or those who have had a case of the responsibility hiccups.
The Functional CV - For those who have experienced spates of unemployment or sporadic job jumps. This CV does not list employment dates or company names, preferring skills and responsibilities.
The Prioritised CV - A format for those about to undertake a career change, or whose current skills are not directly relevant to the job. This CV is written prioritising the work experience which is most relevant to the job you want.

3: Don't make it too long

Work to the maximum length of two pages. No-one reads a long CV; it usually reaches the waste bin first.

4: Or too clever

Choose your content and your words carefully. Treat your CV as an outline sketch of your job history. Highlight your strengths and abilities to problem solve using active verbs such as "responsible" and "achieved", which have universal appeal.

5: Type it, don't write it

Handwriting analysis may be a great fairground attraction, but potential employers will not take time to interpret your scrawl. Type your CV, and leave out the fancy fonts or flourishes - this is a case of emphasising substance over style.

6: Tailor the content

Do you have friends who send you 'Round Robins' at Christmas? Cute, but admit it, you'd prefer something a bit more personal. For employers, the same applies, so try a bit of tailoring. It doesn't have to be much, but the occasional skills tweak can work wonders.

7: Exaggerators beware

Don't exaggerate your achievements. If you weren't principal boy, don't say that you were. And if your success was because of teamwork, identify it as such. Being truthful will make your claims more believable and ultimately work in your favour.

8: Spelling

Your skills may win you the battle, but bad typing and grammatical mistakes will lose you the war. Run the spell checker, read your CV more than once and better still enroll a friend as a second pair of eyes.

9: Alert your referees

Always check your referees before you use their name. It's a courtesy, and a good fail safe - their contact details may have changed, and it never hurts to refresh their memory on why they are happy to give you a good reference.

10: And don't mention the money

Keep your current salary to yourself for now, unless you're asked directly of course. Otherwise, if you earn too little or too much you'll have ruled yourself out before you even reach the door.