This is a brief guide on the type of information and layout a CV should have. We always recommend that you use a standard font and font size. Check your contact details are correct and that you have no spelling mistakes.
The CV, depending on your experience, shouldn’t be longer than two pages. If it goes to three pages this should be because of a long and varied career, which is acceptable if it is clearly demonstrated. Make sure you’ve added the basic information so people can be able to contact you:
-
Name
-
Location
-
Email address
-
Telephone number
Profile – one short paragraph
Your profile should briefly outline what you do and your experience. For example “I am an apprenticed trained M&E engineer who specialises in…”. This section should only be one paragraph, and ideally no more than approximately 5 lines of text.
Key Skills
When you are explaining about your key skills, try to offer an overview in just a few bullet points. Give details about what you do and your experience. For example:
-
5 years production management experience
-
Computer systems used – SAP
-
Following production outlines – GMP
Employment History
Always start with your most recent job first. Mention your job title, company name and the month/year you started working there. Try to avoid adding only the year you were employed there, as most of the recruiters will assume you didn’t stay there very long.
Try and put tangible successes such as achieved ‘£x’ amount of sales, led a team to reach ‘x %’ of target by restructuring, increased productivity resulting in an increase of ‘x’ to our teams output etc.
Do try and avoid generic job responsibilities as this will likely be standard for your job title.
If you do have gaps in your CV longer than 6 months, then explain why (travelling, raising a family, temping, etc.). If your work experience is longer than 15 years you do not need to list all your jobs. You can just list a title and the company name.
Qualifications and Education
List any degrees, and work related certificates. Put the most relevant and recent ones first, and keep it concise. For example, for a junior CV you can just state 10 GCSEs grades A-C including English, Maths and Science.
Additional Information
Try and keep this concise. List things like driving licence, and activities you like to participate in. This should be shorter than your profile section.
If you want to register with a Recruitment agency, check what documents you need to bring with you. And remember: your CV does not get you the job.