writing a CV

[nappyaddict]

basically i have only had 2 jobs so it is a bit thin on the ground. they were delivering leaflets and working as a barmaid/waitress so not exactly very inspriring. how can i big myself up so to speak?

also i have put gcse and a level education down but i don't know whether to bother putting down the first year of uni that i did.

NA... Yes, I would put down the year of college that you did.

Basically, start with a time-line... Prospective employers will want to cover off any 'gaps' in your education or employment... so work out what you were doing and why / what you got out of it / what you enoyed and didn't.. this will also help you decide what jobs you want to go for...

YOu may have only had two 'proper' jobs but you undoubtedly have done loads more... Get that all down on paper and start from there.

Your CV should breakdown into the following catagories
Summary
Employment
Education
Personal

Keep it to 1-2 pages maximum.

While you are looking for work, you might want to consider some sort of voluntary work that fits in with your childcare arrangements as this will prove to prospective employers that you can 'hack' a job!

Hpoe that helps.

what do you mean i have done loads more? i really have only had 2 jobs!

KO, how old are you? You might not have been working, but you must have been doing something?

I gave up work last May for personal reasons and didn't start working again until January this year... so I've had to explain what I DID do in that time - for me, I travelled, got married, got pregnant (that wasn't planned!) and spent some time looking at what i wanted to do - which was more marketing / management than the techie stuff I'd done before.

So, have you ever helped friends out / organised parties / travelled / picked fruit / raised money for charity / looked after kids / all these things say something about you and the skills you have. You just need to tailor those to the jobs you are interested in...

I LOVE organising things - have sorted a few big birthday parties out and a couple of weddings too.. If I ever win the lottery, I am going to be a wedding planner!!!!

no i haven't got any gaps. i have worked since 16 but only those 2 jobs the first was a summer job, the second i got in the october of that same year and i'm still working there now.

i'm 19.

ok organised student piss ups and my son's christening/birthday party but i don't think they count lol. haven't travelled. have been on summer holidays obviously but i havn't done the whole travelling for months at a time thing.

Everything counts!

The important thing is not to lie... It's just not worth it as you are likely to trip yourself up and it'll cause big problems if you ever do get found out...

The fact that you've held down a job for 3 years is good - employers will be pleased to see that.

And the fact you don't have any gaps to fill in is good too...

So, what do you want to do? What do you enjoy doing? why wouldn't organising parties count? If you want to be a party planner, then they are pretty important!!!

It really does depend on what you want to do, but don't be shy to use things you've done outside a formal 'work environment'.. so you organised piss ups - shows you are sociable and can work as part of a team.

If you want to do something with kids, then all the experiences you have had with your son will come in very handy (believe me, as an expectant first time mum, I know NOTHING!!)

I'm more than happy to go through your CV if you want?

do you have msn? if so my address is pink__diamonds at hotmail dot com (2 underscores)

NA - sorry, no I am not on MSN... can I just send you an e-mail to that account?

Sue W - I have 12 GCSEs, 5 Alevels and 3 degrees... Just group your grades, no-one really cares (sorry, but true!). I just list my GCSEs as 'Grade A-C' and my A levels as 'Above C'. Each degree literally gets two lines - subject, grade and University... that's it!

I agree that employers are far more interested in employment and if our vol. work is the most important, then that is what you concentrate on.

Interests is the slot where you 'pad' - if you are running short on space, leave it to one or two lines (or take it out completely..) If you need to fill out your CV, because your main drives and ambitions haven't been covered elsewhere, then include them here...

What's much more important is that you don't bore the reader with too much infomation - and any over 2 pages will be considered too long.

Oh, NA - I meant to add... You are only 19 and have a baby.... AND you've had two jobs.

When I was 19, my sum total of work experience was babysitting for a neighbour and a saturday job at a distinctly low-res shoe shop!!!

No-one is going to expect world domination - the fact that you have held down a regular job for over 3 years speaks volumes!

thanks kacyB. erm i get a lot of email going to spam on that address so email tobys_mummy at btinternet dot com instead