To ask what makes a good/bad CV???

[Loopylala7]

I'm writing out my first CV in approximately 6 years and am floundering badly. Feels like the world has passed me by and I didn't keep up. What the heck do you write? Feels like I haven't done a course in ages and worried they'll laugh at my experience or lack of

What about a functional CV? Basically it isn't chronological so it is better when the flow doesn't work.

Basically:

This is who I am
This is the experience I have
These are the skills I have
These are the courses I have been on
This is what I can bring to the job (that the other applicants don't)

You want to make it really easy for the person shortlisting to be able to pick out whether you meet the basic specs, and if you have anything extra.

Much more than that depends upon which field you're working in....

Data and facts are good, if you can provide them - less "I did thing!" more "I managed £Xnum budget to do Thing"

Does anyone know what the UK policy on mentioning age in a CV is? I know that if you include your age or put a photo in your CV for the US, HR will just automatically throw it in the rubbish.

Don't imply that you are management material in every job you've had before this one if you're also going to include :-

• that you haven't been able to hold down a job for more than 6 months
• that within weeks of having a job all your more experienced team mates suddenly look to you for advice
• that management give you their jobs to do and are training you up for supervisory job days into the job you lasted a month in
• that you had to take charge and rework the computer system as the poor polish who've been there years couldn't work it
• that you had to teach the Polish English and that the entire town has become infested with polish just like all the jobs

^^ that was just one applicant applying to our place... They didn't get the job

Have you looked on the cv builder websites?

Keep it short

Tailor it to the job (i.e. change it for every application)

Think in terms of what you can offer the particular company, think in terms of why they need you

Give one or two examples of relevant achievements that make you an attractive potential employee

Cut out any cliched words and phrases

If you include qualifications/hobbies (I wouldn't unless you are in your 20s) then again keep them short

I wouldn't include age or a photo personally

Online you can find the 'European format' CV form, (think that's what it's called) which has all the relevant headings.
What I would say is don't overegg the custard- anyone reading a CV can spot exaggeration a mile off. And don't use silly management speak.
Good luck!

Alot of depends on what job you are applying for. Google cvs templates in that field and start there.

Please please please do not include business cliches. I saw one that had every cliche in the book. And people hate it.

Double & triple check spelling & grammar - first impressions really do matter

No age, dob, marital status etc. Those go on separate monitoring forms.

There are CV templates on the National Careers Service website.

Definitely depends what sector. In mine, people want to know where you've worked, what you've done and what your background is, so a chronological CV is required, listing key aspects of each role. Do you have a particular sector in mind? If so, do you have any contacts who already work there who could eye up your CV for you? Are there any recruitment agencies for your area, who would work on your CV?

cv should be no more than two pages long and tailored to the job you are applying to: so work experience first (the most recent at the top), any qualifications you have acquired, then education.

don't forget to put your name, address and contact details at the top (you'd be surprised!)

no negatives!

As someone who receives many CV's, please don't make it too long, a couple of pages is fine.

don't include your age or a photo, unless it's requested.

Don't include hobbies / interests. They make the people reading the CV's chuckle if they're funny or outlandish, but apart from that are unnecessary.

Have your basic CV ready and tailor it to the job you're applying for. When you're listing your experience, match your qualities to the points in the job description or person specification.

STAR - situation, task, action, result. Give an example for each of your previous jobs of how you've been outstanding at performing the role. Be specific (and truthful!) and use numbers to prove your point.

And in some jobs your qualifications do matter (for law put on your a level grades and subject and your university dates, degree classification). It is very hard to generalise about CVs as different sectors have very different requirements.

Many will reject any CV with a single typo on in so do have someone well educated read it for you. Avoid jargon. Do not use any management speak. Have short sentences and clear English.

It does not need to say 'Curriculum Vitae' across the top; it's already clear what the document is.

Use a decent, clear font.

Include information about a hobby/interest only if you can make it relevant - I had one candidate whose academic history was missing competency in a 'desirable' though not essential skill, however the skills required for their hobby proved competency in that area. That person got the job (and a course to formalise their skill set) but the hobby actually showed them to be the best fit for the role.

Look at the job you're applying for and if the application 'route' is your CV, make sure you can tick off every 'essential' competency as you go through. Andro also makes a great point about using your hobbies to tick off 'desirable' things too, although if you aren't using them to show a particular skill I'd recommend leaving them out.

Every word should be working for you, basically. Which means tailoring it every time.

Spelling and grammar has to be immaculate - get someone else to check.

Direct, clear language. Read your CV out loud. If it sounds funny coming out of your mouth, then change it:

For eg: I enabled a team of 25 to leverage their capabilities through advanced project management skills (yes, people do say shit like this on a CV) becomes: When I managed a large team, I used my project management experience to manage workloads and tasks. That meant we had a x% completion rate and also reduced sickness absence by y%.

If I'm employing people I like CVs where I can see at a glance what the applicant has done when and prefer them to be chronological. If I have to hunt around for info with previous employment not in chronological order then I wonder what the person is trying to hide.
If the applicant has done no paid work or courses for 5 years because of childcare and is now keen to get going again and be trained up if necessary I'd rather she put this in the covering letter with the CV than ignored the issue and tried to hide her unemployment. The covering letter is extremely important in my opinion.
I agree that if in your hobby you have organised large sporting events or been treasurer or chaired meetings that may be relevant.

Contact giraffe CVs, the lady who runs it is lovely and does a free CV review too

Avoid spelling mistakes! In a previous job, it was amazing how many cvs we received with spelling mistakes!

Make it clear, neat, and easy to read

Contact details on top, one or two general lines about you " an experienced blah with 10 years experience in public sector and charities, key achievements such as blah
then chronological job list and key tasks/skills in bullet points. 7-10 points and maybe blurb for most recent or most relevent roles. 3-5 points for least relevant jobs.
Qualifications/training (eng and maths grade at gcse, degree or a levels if you have them.
Don't ever include photos, age or hobbies! Two pages max, tailor it for each job you apply for

I like seeing hobbies, it gives you an idea of the person as an individual and gives you something to ask in warm up questions. It's particularly important if the company is small when being someone who will fit in with everyone else and what sort of person you are is as important as what you know. Skills can be taught, personalities are more fixed.

No fancy fonts.

Exh used to centre his contact details at the top it made them look like he thought his address would get him the job looks ridiculous! Don't do that

If it's a generic cv make it concise and get someone to proof read it.

If you are tailoring it to a specific role make sure you give examples of their criteria in your skills/work history section.

Explain gaps with dates for example 1992-2012: opted to be a stay at home parent. Or 2004-6 : spent this period backpacking around Asia.

If you have a degree or technical quake you don't need to list your GCSEs unless you are 17!