You and Your CV
Your CV is a professional document that is there to sell yourself to prospective employers detailing your skills and what you have achieved in your career. A good CV will open doors to the right decision makers who can make a real difference to your career and get you your dream job.
Here are some tips on how to create the perfect CV.
- Keep it Brief. Your CV should be no longer than 3 pages. You will achieve this by being to the point and making sure the content is punchy & relevant. You will need to have some detail in the CV, but try not to repeat information over and over again, too much detail will mean you lose the focus on your key skills.
- Keep it Simple. Do not over complicate with Jargon and waffle.
- Look and feel. Your CV needs to be easy on the eye and easy for the reader to decipher.
- Make sure the grammar is perfect and the spelling is spot on. Your Initi8 Recruiter will be more than happy to review your document and give you any feedback they feel could be important.
Please see below a layout that has worked well for the majority of our candidates:
Your Name
Address details, which town, postcode.
Email Name.Candidate@looking.com
Mobile 07*** *** ***
Profile
Your chance to be creative - This is one paragraph, it is a snap shot of you – What you do, where you come from, what you are like at work. This should reflect where you are and what you are doing nothing more and nothing less. i.e A pragmatic and confident Java developer, with 6 years of commercial development experience gained whilst working in various industries; Healthcare, banking, pharmaceutical. With experience of working at all levels, gathering requirements and delivering ground breaking solutions. Etc.
Education
(do not over complicate this section)| 1991- 1995 | Mytown University | BSc Computing | 2.1 |
| 1989- 1991 | Sometown 6th Form | A’ levels | Maths-A, English-B, Physics-C |
| 1987-1989 | Mytown comprehensive | O’levels | 8 A-C grades |
Career History
(reverse chronological order)
| 2003 - present | Company Name | Job title |
In this section explain what you have been doing in your role, tell the reader the important things about the role and what you did. start with your most recent role in this organisation, make a new section below for your previous role.
- Now bullet point your achievements
- Remember to give examples so that they have context
- This is a good place to get your technical skills across
- And your biggest and best projects
| 1999 - 2003 | Last company | Previous role |
As this role was further in the past, you don’t need so much detail (the further back the less detail)
- Still use the bullet points
- Biggest and best projects
- Other technologies can be added in context
(the just repeat this till the start of your CV)
Professional qualifications
| Date | Qualification | Who did the training |
(in this section just add relevant courses)
Interests / achievements
In this area please be brief, this are talking points for the interview. It is important that you make an effort here.
Skills Matrix
(if you must have a skills matrix (telling us your the technical skills you have and the amount of experience that you have) this goes here.)
