How it works

+ Proofread your CV for spelling and grammar mistakes – ask a friend or family member to read through too.
+ Make sure it is easy to read quickly and find the key details – use headings like ‘Education’, ‘Work Experience’, ‘Skills’, and ‘Hobbies’ in a slightly larger and bold font to separate each section.
+ Keep text formatting the same throughout, especially size and font, except for your section headings.
+ Use bullet points to separate each point – long paragraphs of text make it harder to read and find the key information you are trying to tell the reader.
+ Don’t be afraid to include a little bit of colour – but make sure everything is still readable!

What to include

+ Include a personal profile/headline at the top. Don’t make this generic (e.g. “I am an enthusiastic, motivated, hard-working graduate…”) but use it to include your career goal, add a personal touch and say something unique about the employer and role you are applying for.
+ Provide detail about the skills you have gained in your studies or previous work experience that are relevant to the roles you are applying for; e.g. what software have you learnt for engineering, what coding are you familiar with for IT, what programmes have you used for design or video editing etc.
+ Include key responsibilities, projects and achievements for your previous work experience – not just the company name and date
+ Make sure what you include is relevant to the role you are applying for. Whether that is hard skills (software) or soft skills (communication, teamwork, organisation etc.) that you can use.

What not to include