Name / Phone number / Email / Address / LinkedIn Username (There is no need to include any other personal information)
Candidate Profile
This section should include a brief summary of why you are suitable for the position, your soft skills and relevant previous experience.
Tailor this section to the role you are applying to.
Education & Professional Qualifications (Skills)
List your most recent qualification first including the year and institution name.
State your level of qualification.
Include professional memberships and other relevant training.
Shortlisting and presentation
Outline in detail your work history beginning with the most recent.
Put the company name, your position and dates of employment in bold font so it’s clear
List your key responsibilities, key skills (eg: specific systems you used, etc.) and achievements using bullet points.
Explain any gaps in employment.
Skills and Interests / Hobbies
Add any extra skills, hobbies or interests to create a holistic picture of you.
In recent years, companies have grown increasingly more concerned with work-life balance and what you choose to do in your spare time says a lot about you.
Include interests that paint you in a good light but don’t lie!
References
You can either provide specific contact details for your references or state ‘Available upon Request’.
Ensure your referees are relevant to the sector you are applying to / have been prevalent in your career and are happy to be contacted
CV Dos
Keep it short - Keep it to 1-2 pages.
Formatting matters - Ensure a clean, organised layout with easy-to-read fonts. Use bullet points for clarity and consistency. Keep the most important information listed first. Ensure it is grammatically correct. Export it as a PDF and save the file as your name.
Tailor to the job - Customise your CV for each application to emphasise skills and experiences relevant to the specific role.
Highlight your achievements - Make your unique personal and career quantified achievements clear. This is something that will make you stand out against other candidates.
Emphasise your skills - Create a dedicated section for key skills to quickly communicate your strengths and expertise.
Use action verbs in the past tense such as led and managed.
Clarify potential ‘gaps’ in your employment history.
Make sure contact information is up to date
CV Don’ts
Avoid cliches: team player, organised, etc.
Don’t use paragraphs - use bullet points!
Don’t assume the interviewer knows what your previous roles consisted of - outline clearly what each of your previous jobs entailed.
Don’t Lie!
Don’t use slang - keep your language professional
Don’t include a photo of yourself
Don’t use too many buzz words - instead of calling yourself a “team player”, use a bullet point in your work experience section to describe your experience collaborating with a team, supporting your co-workers, or contributing to a group project. Instead demonstrate your qualifications.
Don’t include every job you have ever had - only include past experience that's relevant to the role you’re applying for.
Don’t focus on your responsibilities over achievements - For example, instead of writing “worked on email marketing campaign strategies”, say, “Spearheaded a new email marketing campaign strategy, resulting in a 12% increase in open rates.”
Don’t list irrelevant skills - Read the job description and note any technical skills you have that aligns with the position.
