CV Writing Skills - Teamwork Selection

Your CV is one of the best selling tools you have.

It is your script for talking about yourself. It should clearly explain to your potential employer what you can do for them, outlining your unique skills and experience. It is worth spending time to perfect your CV to make maximum impact.

Use your CV as a well-presented, selling document and source of interesting, relevant information. It should include your personal details; your contact details; employment history (including employers’ names, addresses); education; your skills and achievements; any training and professional qualifications; interests (try to relate these to skills that your new job may require).

DO’S

Do include a summary ‘profile’ at the top of the CV after your personal details. This is a short ‘sell’ on you. It should include a couple of sentences about who you are; your key qualities and skills; your work experience to date and what you are looking to do next
Do make sure your contact details stand out on the page so that they are easy to find. That way, a potential employer can contact you easily
Do set out your CV clearly. Bullet points and sub-heads help give structure
Do highlight and demonstrate your achievements and successes. Don’t just state facts about your role and responsibilities; you’ll stand out more if you can show what great things you have achieved at work

DONT’S

Don’t include spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. It’s a good idea to ask someone else to help proof read it
Don’t write more than two sides of A4 – if it is too long, people won’t take in all the details
Don’t expect that your CV will suit every job – you may need to adapt it to highlight different skills and experience, depending on the role
Don’t over-exaggerate your skills and experience. You may be challenged about the details in the interview. Be clear about any gaps in your employment history, for instance redundancy, travelling or career breaks. Be sure to explain the positives!