<sub>Here’s some basic advice that will to guide you through the process of building and writing your own CV.

Employers and recruiters are only looking for one thing: a document that convinces them that you have the skills necessary to fulfill the needs of their vacancy.  Consequently, you have to make sure that your CV/Resume fulfills their criteria.  Your CV is the only tool you have to convince a prospective employer that you have the skills that they are looking for, which is why it is so important that you invest a lot of time, effort and thought into producing a competitive sales document.  Knowing that there are over 2 million people looking for work in the United Kingdom right now, means that an effective CV that stands out from the crowd will be the one to win though.</sub>
A basic CV/Resume should include the following elements:

• _{Your personal details: Your name, address, email address and your telephone and mobile numbers; do not add your age or date of birth as this is no longer a legislative requirement, do not add your National Insurance number (think of identity theft), do add your availability, nationality and work status (for instance if you have a work visa, ancestral visa or working holiday visa).}
  

• _{Your Profile: A short paragraph or a few bullet points about the key points of your work ethic, is usually a good introduction; however, don’t waffle and stick to the facts.}
  

• _{Career History: List your employer details in a reverse chronological manner, i.e.: most recent first and start with the employer’s name, their market/business sector, very brief details of what they do and add a hyperlink so the reader can click on the employer’s website.  Follow through the dates of your employment, your position/s and your duties and responsibilities.  Use bullet points, remain factual and tailor your duties to compare positively with the job/s that you are applying for.}
  

• _{Education: In the same way you listed your employment history, list your education details, most recent first and work backwards.  Give details of your academic and professional qualifications and add the grades that you achieved – obviously, the mature you are, the less relevant grades become; however, use your common sense and put yourself in the shoes of the employer and think about what they might be interested in knowing about you.}
  

• _{Skills, Talents and Special Abilities: This section can used in lots of different ways, but is primarily used for highlighting specific skills, such I T skills, academic skills that are being successfully used throughout the course of your job, specific professional skills and for skills that you want to highlight in order to tailor your CV to specific jobs.}
  

• _{Hobbies and Interests: Give anyone who reads your CV some insight into your personality to help them decide if your personality will, on the face of it, fit in with potential colleagues and company culture.  This gives a more rounded view of you and your driving factors.}
  

• _{References: You don’t need to add these, when an employer is interested they will ask you for them; however, it’s always a good idea to state that they are available upon request.}
  

Keep the layout of your CV simple and easy to read.  Use an open modern font.  School leavers and graduates CV’s really shouldn’t exceed more than one page.  More mature or senior candidates CV's will lengthen naturally over time, and a three page CV is not uncommon; but the cardinal rule is not to waffle and to stick rigorously to the facts.

Things You Shouldn’t Add:

The time and effort that invest in making your CV an effective sales brochure for your skills and qualities will be rewarded; however, gimmicky effects, coloured backgrounds and other objects mean it will take longer to download your CV and that means you’ve lost your chance to impress.

• Don’t use fancy backgrounds or fancy margins – simple is more effective.

• Don’t use huge font sizes, it makes the document longer than it should be; a pitch of anywhere between 10 and 12 for paragraphs and headings should be between 12 and 14 pitch.  Your name shouldn’t be  greater than 20 pitch, but make sure your contact details are 12 pitch so it’s obvious to the reader – on the top of the first page – not at the bottom of the last page.

• Resist the temptation to add your photograph, whilst it’s essential in some other counties, it isn’t required in the United kingdom and if the reader doesn’t like the way you look, then your CV will be filed in the wastepaper bin.

• Be careful how you use headings and bold font, it can make content look less than it really is.

• Use bullet points and don’t use long paragraphs; long sentences have a horrible way of meandering without making their point.

• Don’t abbreviate, you might understand what you are talking about, but the reader may not.

• Check for spelling errors, although some spelling errors aren’t actually mistakes, it’s the difference between your default language setting of either English UK or English US; check first.

• Make sure your grammar is correct; however, there is a difference between making a statement and constructing a proper sentence and in a CV/Resume, there will always be some wavy green lines that you can’t get rid of.

• Let a good friend or even a recruiter look over your CV before you finalise it; a second opinion is good as it will help you keep objectivity on your horizon.

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If you've written your own CV and would like to know the market's perception of the document, simply email it to us for a free CV Health Check.  For a complete and in-depth report we can conduct a complete CV Analysis which outlines the strengths and weaknesses of your CV with additional information on how to improve the content and it's appearance.  We are also available to discuss any concerns you have about your CV, or any other career issue, query or problem.