Applying for a job

Your CV is a key document which will, hopefully, secure you an interview. Get it wrong and your application will come to a sudden halt. You have no more than 30 seconds to create the right first impression with your CV, so make sure the important information is at the top of the first page.

Focus the CV on specific jobs. Change your profile and skills list to match the requirements of the role.

Personal Profile - No more than 50 to 70 words at the beginning of your CV. Three main parts:

• What sort of person are you - sociable, friendly etc.
• Approach to Work - reliable, flexible etc.
• Main Strengths - team worker, initiative etc.

Your list of skills should be relevant to the job for which you are applying. Don’t forget your ‘transferable’ skills.

Remember - Your profile should match your personality, and not reflect someone else's.

Use the same font throughout and don’t just rely on ‘spell check’ - get someone to read through it.

The most appropriate fonts include Arial, Verdana, Century Gothic and Calibri. Size 11 or 12 is preferable.

Have a business like email address. If you believe that your current email is inappropriate, but don’t want to change it, then create a new email address to use just for job related activities. Don’t underestimate the negative impact that a poor email address can have.

Your work history should start with the most recent employer and work backwards. You should include the name of the employer, your job title and your duration of employment – include month and year.

For each job you should detail your main duties and responsibilities.

You only need to go back about ten years / three employers. Unless it’s directly relevant to the job, they’re not really interested in what you did 25 years ago. Any skills relevant to the job should also be included in your skills list.

Your record of training and education should, like your employment history, start with the most recent and work backwards. Only include qualifications, courses, licences etc. that are relevant to the job. You need to list the qualification/ training and, where appropriate, the level. You don’t necessarily need to say where, or when, you did the training although, if it was recently, you may want to include the year as this will show you’re improving your skills.

Help with writing a CV

Writing a CV can be a lengthy and complex task and you may have to spend some focussed time preparing and researching, however the National Careers Service has many resources that could help you:

In addition, the following resources are available:

• Totaljobs - CV templates in different formats
• Totaljobs - Ten CV mistakes to avoid
• Totaljobs - Ten steps to a successful CV
• Totaljobs - CV checklist
• Hays - CV tips
• Hays - CV structure
• Monster - How can I make my CV more effective
• Reed - CV builder

It is a good idea to ask someone to review your CV / application form for feedback. They may have suggestions and could pick up on any spelling or grammatical errors that you (or the spellcheck) has not identified.

You should always send your CV with a covering letter which needs to make an impact and encourage the recruiter to read your CV. All CVs should be tailored to the job to which you are applying and the covering letter allows you to go into specific detail about why you are suited to the job and also show the recruiter that you have done your research. The following resources are useful:

• Totaljobs - Cover letter template
• Totaljobs - Cover letter tips - five golden cover letter rules
• Hays - Cover letter advice
• Monster - What to include in a cover letter

Any covering letter should be a maximum of one side. It is another opportunity for you to sell yourself and mention anything that is not covered by your CV and that you feel the employer should know. Use the space wisely.