CV Preparation

Preparing your resume, or CV, can be a daunting task. Quite apart from what to put in and what to leave out, describing your own strengths and abilities isn't easy. What we have tried to do with the following guideline is to make the whole process easier to ensure you end up with a professional document.

Presentation and Layout

• Always ensure your CV is typed and is well laid out with plenty of white space - not only will this make it easier to read, but it looks professional.
• Start with your name and address, telephone number and personal information at the top, then cover your employment record, academic career and qualifications.
• Use sub-headings such as Education, Career History, Professional Qualifications, Interests, etc.
• Always ensure you have plenty of clean, crisp copies which have not been folded.

Content

• Start your career history with your most recent employment, describing your position, your responsibilities and line of reporting.
• Mention aspects of your job which relate to a skill such as conference organising, making travel arrangements and responsibility for specific areas of work such as coordinating management reports or sales figures.
• Detail your reasons for leaving previous positions, except for your present job as you can mention this in your covering letter or at the interview.
• With previous employment be brief, stating who you worked for and what the organisation did, what your position was and the main content of the job.
• Summarise your school career, just giving details of the level you reached.
• It's up to you how much personal information you give - but you don't have to reveal, for instance, whether you are single, married or divorced, whether you have any children, or even how old you are!
• Keep your CV brief and to the point - it should not be longer than three pages.

Remember that the purpose of your CV is to convince the potential employer that you have the right level of experience, skills and personal qualities to do the job in question and that you are worthy of an interview. Once you get to the interview you then have the opportunity to expand on all the points.

Revise. Each time you make a job application, take the time to re-read your resume and tailor it to the role you're applying for.