How to write a CV

There is no right way of writing a CV, but there are things you need to consider when it comes to CV writing.

This is what your CV needs to be:

• Eye-catching
• Well laid out
• Factual and believable
• Original and interesting
• Concise
• Strong
• Easy to read
• Relevant
• Personal and individual

What do you do when you need to start writing a CV?

Resources:

• Quite a few pieces of paper (scrap paper is okay for now)
• A pencil
• A rubber
• Job descriptions (if you have them)

Employment History

Task 1: On one piece of paper, write down all of your job titles, the companies you’ve worked for, and the start and finish dates (months and years) that you worked there.

If you have several jobs where you were at each for a short amount of time, you can put them as “Various Roles”.

Task 1: My example

Task 2: Have a piece of paper for each job title that you have had, with headings as your job title, the company and the dates.

Set yourself ten minutes for each job you have had, go through each job description (if you have them) and write down your what you did whilst you were working there. Note: This is only a rough so it does not need to be perfect first time.

Task 3: Now, write down what else you did at the company? Think about the following:

• If you completed overtime, what department(s) were you in? What did you do?
• Did you do odd jobs for a Supervisor Manager? What did you do?

Task 4: Now that you have that written down, it is good to add figures and stats. Here are some things you should think about:

• Sales: How much was your biggest sale worth?
• Picker / Packer: Did you keep up with the set Pick Rate? What was the Pick Rate?
• Loading: How many vans did you load on a daily basis?
• Stock Replenishment: How many aisles can you complete within a time period?
• Did you save the company money over six months?

Qualifications

It would be beneficial for certificates of qualifications, if you have them.

On a new piece of paper, starting from the most recent, write down the following for each qualification you have:

• Completion date (year only)
• Course name
• Level of qualification

Profile

It is really important that a CV includes a well written personal profile. This describes you as a professional and a person. Your personal profile should be only three sentences where possible. The first sentence should introduce you positively (who you are), the second should present a summary of your skills and experience (what you can do) and the final sentence should explain your personal career target or goals (what you want).

This section is the hardest part of a CV and most people struggles with this section most of all.

Take a little time to think about what you are like as a person. If you struggle with this, I would suggest, and highly recommend, asking others what they think you are good at and your qualities are. Here are a few suggestions on who you can go to:

• Managers
• Colleagues
• Family
• Friends

Useful information

8 Creative Writing Techniques to Build a Brilliant CV

CV Writing Module, © RBLI, 2011