How to write a great CV

1
How to write a great CV
2
The basics

• Apply in writing CV and covering letter
• CV facts and figures covering letter your
  advert
• CVs need to be tailored for each job/sector
• CV should make the employer want to interview you

3
(No Transcript)
4

• THINK TARGETED
• Know what the employer is looking for
• Understand the requirements of the job
• Be clear about the qualities the employer is
  looking for

• THINK SELF PROMOTION
• Be clear about what you have to offer
• Map out your key skills, qualities experience and
  achievements

Matching Exercise
5
Meet Suzie Smith

• With the person next to you, take a quick look
  at Suzies CV
• What are your first impressions?
• Is there anything you would do differently?

6
CV fact or CV fiction?

• 2 pages long?
• include referees names and addresses?
• include your age and date of birth?
• include your nationality?
• include a personal profile?
• include an interests section?

7
Whats important about format?- Standing out for
the right reasons!

• Dont cram too much information onto one page
• Allocate space according to importance
• Short sentences no long prose passages
• Break up text with bullet points
• NOT TOO MANY CAPITALS AND Changes of font
• Logical structure clear
• Use colour and shading sparingly CVs are
  usually photocopied at some stage

8
Suggested structure

• Education first (for now)
• Define the talents that you feel are important to
  potential employers
• Include work experience
• Finish with interests
• Simple paper and font

9
CONTENT Personal details

• Name
• Contact address(es)
• Contact phone number(s)
• One email address
• Nationality (if relevant to application)

10
CONTENT Education

• Reverse chronological order, secondary and
  university only
• Most space for degree least for GCSEs/equivalent
  exams at 16
• Summarise GCSEs/equivalent
• 10 GCSEs (5A 2B 3C) incl. maths and english
• A levels/pre-uni exams in full with grades
• Degree key/relevant modules only skills from
  study projects ASP element

11
CONTENT Work experience

• Job title, company, location
• Sales assistant, HM, Manchester
• Group together relevant experience
• NOT duties/job description instead what skills
  did you apply/develop? What were you responsible
  for? What is relevant to this job?
• 4-5 bullet points maximum
• Dates Summer 2006, May 2005, 2006-2007
• Prioritise most recent and most relevant

12
CONTENT Other sections

• Positions of responsibility
• What do these actually involve? Not just your
  job title!!
• Extra-curricular
• Group together by topic or
• Group by when you did it
• Key Skills
• Driving, IT, languages, anything else?

13
CONTENT Transferable skills?

• Unless you do a skills based CV, skills are
  better put into context
• Use action verbs to describe your work experience
  etc evidence
• Launched a new club night in Manchester and
  secured sponsorship from Red Bull. The event sold
  out.
• Created a system to help managers monitor usage
  of a new fitness suite.

14
Avoid passive - Use action verbs wherever
possible

• Achieved
• Advised
• Audited
• Co-ordinated
• Managed
• Organised
• Tested
• Taught

• Led
• Conducted
• Initiated
• Developed
• Prioritised
• Liaised
• Negotiated
• Analysed

15
CONTENT References

• Usually include if you have space on your CV
• One academic, one other (not your Mum)
• Check person knows you are using them for a
  reference
• Check how that person would like to be contacted

16
Previous applications

• I enjoy practising marital arts
• At secondary school I was a prefix
• Special skills Thyping
• Thank you for your consideration. Hope to hear
  from you shorty
• I have worked in the pubic sector
• Hi I want 2 get a job with U

17
Previous applications

• I loathe filling in applications so much that
  Ill give you details at the interview
• In my spare time I enjoy hiding my horse
• I have excellent memory skills, good analytical
  skills, excellent memory skills
• I am a conscious individual
• Here are my qualifications for you to overlook
• I am someone who knows my own destiny, but I
  have no definite long term plans

18
Skills based CV

• Often includes
• Personal details
• Personal profile
• Skills Profile eg. examples of teamworking
• Education
• Work history
• Interests
• References (2 referees)

19
Skills based CV

• Pros
• Useful if you have had a lot of work experience
• Useful if changing direction to emphasise
  transferable skills
• Can make work of recruiter easier

• Cons
• Requires more preparation to do it well
• Can look unfocussed if you havent done your
  research properly
• Career aim/personal profile doesnt appeal to all
  employers

20
Advanced Suggestions

• Select the key information dont include
  everything!
• Find the prime selling space and use it
• Provide evidence
• Use words that give emphasis
• -Action verbs.led, achieved, resolved
• -See back of CV handout
• Quantify your achievements
• -How much did you raise?
• -How many people attended?
• -What marks did you get?

21
Constructive Suggestions

• Allocate space in accordance to the importance of
  the information
• Use reverse chronological order
• Dont bury the good bits on page 2
• Never send it without a covering letter
• Keep it relevant avoid jargon
• Keep it upbeat, positive achievements focused

22
Suzie Smith CV part 2

• Look at the differences between the two CVs
• Same core information
• Different presentation
• Anything else you would do differently?

23
In summary, successful CVs

• Neither too long or short
• Organised information
• Well printed typed
• To the point
• Good spelling and grammar

• Provide evidence of achievements in previous
  positions
• Relevant information
• Clear presentation
• Tailored

24
Writing a covering letter
25
A good covering letter?

• Dear Sir,
• I saw your advert in the Manchester Evening News
  for a Marketing Assistant. I enclose my CV.
• I look forward to hearing from you.
• Yours sincerely,

26
The Covering Letter

• This is the advert for your CV where you get
  to say WHY you want the job
• The basics
• One page, quality paper (same as your CV)
• Business letter layout
• Usually typewritten
• Keep any formatting consistent with your CV

27
Tips for Covering Letters

• Write to a named individual if possible
• Tell the employer what you are applying for and
  where you saw it advertised
• quote any reference numbers!
• Get to the point who are you and what do you
  want?
• Why are you interested in the job/sector ?
• Why are you interested in the employer?

28
Tips for Covering Letters

• Signpost your key selling points
• Keep language clear and business like but dont
  write like your bank manager!
• Be enthusiastic and positive
• Ending should be upbeat
• Dear Sir/Madam ends with Yours faithfully Dear
  Mr Kaplan ends with Yours sincerely
• Tailor the letter for each job dont use a
  generic one- for-all

29
Covering letter structure

• No more than one side of A4
• No more more than 3 paragraphs
• Introductory paragraph
• Why the company, why the job
• Summary of your background, including strengths
  and experience, think USPs
• Summary and thank you

30
How not to do it

• Dear Sir/Madam
• I want a job in this your Firm 40k. I am
  extremely extremely clever - true IQ rating 123
  supervised IQ test. I am clinically cool under
  the worst, diabolical psychological pressure,
  cognitive, tensile, gritty tension imaginable.
  Over-sensitive, considerate to others under worst
  psychological and cognitive pressure imaginable
  want unlimited Big Time responsibility from Day
  1 in Deloitte scrupulously honest scrupulously
  fair very very quick thinking and very very
  accurate under pressure forthright therefore
  would make Group Senior Partner a good mate
  besides which also brave (6ft 2in, 17 stone).
  Proof of ability, recently, yesterday obtained
  Distinction Institute of Linguistics French
  General Certificate exam and will also pass Level
  3 Japan Foundation Proficiency Test next week
  SOAS.
• Also brilliant Linguist, Linguist, Logician Big
  Time! Also 3 weeks ago standing in bookshop
  Hemel Hempstead town centre reading A Level Study
  Aids Maths Book and understood theory of
  Permutations and Combinations in 26 minutes (and
  Im honest) and answered entire A question
  exactly right in 27minutes (without Big Time)
  looking at worked examples and without a
  calculator. I only Grade D at A Level Maths,
  because Im a bit sensitive or rather a bit over
  sensitive and I was thrown out at the time Big
  Time. If you want proof if you pay for it Ill
  resit A level Maths and I guarantee from
  Wednesday August 13 1997 Ill get a Grade A in
  it, Leeds. Therefore I am a proven brilliant
  Mathematician and very numerate - Ill pass ACA
  easily Big Time, Big Time, Big Time, - just
  give me a chance, try me please. Brave, so all
  this together would make Senior Partner Deloitte
  Leeds a brilliant definite committed,
  enthusiastic energetic vibrant forthright
  vigorous motivated clever helpfulpositive
  efficient desirable athletic mate.
• Yours faithfully

31
CV Assessment

• 30th Oct MIDDAY first version of CV submitted
  for comments, submit on paper or by email
• 18th Dec 2008 deadline for final submission
• CV tailored for a career opportunity you are
  interested in, e.g. a summer internship, research
  placement or graduate level job
• Position must be at Graduate level (not p/t work)