cv help please

[Chocolatethief]

Can anyone give me some advice on doing a cv please, i have never really worked because of my mental health. i had to leave uni when i was 18 and never managed to get my life back on track and now im 25 so i have absolutely no idea what i should put on my cv now as all i really have is my education and i haven't done any paid work apart from 1 month during summer before uni. thank you, sorry if this is in the wrong section.

Have you done any volunteering etc while you’ve been out of work? Maybe you could look around for something while you look for a job, just to ease you into a working environment and give you something to talk about in an interview?

I don’t think you need to put anything on your CV for the time you’ve been unwell - but do rehearse what you’d say if an interviewer asked you about the gaps in dates between things.

Be kind to yourself and practise explaining it in a way that emphasises that you were unwell but keen to get started now. As long as you give a coherent answer it’ll be okay.

I did at one point but that was 5 years ago so not really up to date enough. im doing the work and health programme with the job centre and volunteering is something that i think we will be looking into soon. i would ask them for help but i was basically told to just do my cv and i have already mentioned that i was struggling with it. i think the gaps is a big concern for me because i had nothing to show them that im competent. i have thought about doing some free online courses but i don't know if employers care about those things.

The cv should be just a formality and for volunteering, a gap won't be a problem, so try not to worry too much.
You could start with a personal profile. where you can explain the gap - just say you have not been able to gain work experience previously due to poor health but you're now keen to get back to work and looking forward to working with a great team and building your confidence.
Then your name and your contact details - usually phone and email address is enough - if you get the job they can have more personal details like address then. No need for date of birth yet either.
Then state your education - most recent first and work backwards
You can then do a section on hobbies/interests.
A page is enough and don't worry if you can't fill it.
Good luck - you can do this!

I think online courses show some initiative and willing, so if you’re interested in anything have a go :)

Have you had a google for some general advice? There’s some links here:

nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/cv-sections

www.reed.co.uk/career-advice/how-to-write-a-cv/amp/

career-advice.jobs.ac.uk/academic/how-to-write-a-good-cv/

It’s good to tailor your CV a bit to each job you apply to - try to bring out a few key words/examples that match the skills/behaviours asked for in the job description.

Before you get experience, CVs are all about personality, enthusiasm, ambition and base-level skills.

It is also absolutely ridiculous how many CVs at the 'beginner's level' are beyond poor... just basic proofreading will put you above most. I.e. go through every last word, sentence, space, bullet point and paragraph and make sure each and every one is consistent, spell-checked and as nest and tidy as humanly possible.

The other part of CVs is of course embellishing... not lying, but doing the thing the Americans are world leaders in: confidently talking about themselves and tooting their own horn. Confidence sells.