Not ‘jazzed up’ with different fonts, bright colours, borders or clip art
Up to date
Not have any gaps in your education/employment history
Checked for spelling and grammar
What should a CV look like?
While there are no fixed rules, you should cover the following:
Name
Address
Contact details
Personal profile
A short statement about your skills, personality and qualities. It should be tailored for each job you apply for.
Education
List your secondary schools and colleges with the dates attended. List your qualifications and grades. Leave out junior and primary schools.
Work experience
List any paid work, work experience or voluntary work you have done. Start with the most recent first.
For each job, give:
Dates employed
Job title
Company name
A brief outline of your duties
If you don’t have much paid work experience, put down any voluntary work you have done, e.g. helping out at a school, school work experience.
Achievements
Include details about any certificates gained for timekeeping, sporting achievements, Duke of Edinburgh awards, etc.
Include any relevant skills or certificates that you have that might be useful at work, for example a driving licence, a first aid certificate, ability to speak a foreign language, experience of computer software such as Microsoft Office.
Interests
Include interests that will help show you as interesting and sociable, especially if they are relevant to the job. For example, an applicant to a catering company whose hobby is cooking.
References
Include the contact details for two referees who will provide references for you. Suitable people for this include your last employer and a school teacher or College lecturer.
If you do not want to include them on your CV put ‘References available on request’.
Note: Laws on discrimination mean you do not have to include your age and date of birth
CV Content
Transferable Skills
Everyone has ‘transferable skills’. One example is ‘being a good communicator’ – someone who is sympathetic, a good listener and able to help others to sort out their problems. This skill is needed for a range of different jobs, for example, a doctor, shop assistant or a teacher.
Look at the list below and identify some of your transferable skills. Add these to your CV:
THIS IS ME…
CV SPEAK…
A good laugh
Gets on well with people of all ages
Sociable, chatty, bubbly
Good communicator, confident
Bossy
Has leadership skills
Likes to be the centre of attention
Confident
Easily distracted
Open to new ideas and suggestions, flexible worker
Bit of a daydreamer
Creative thinker
Helped to build a garden shed
Construction skills, planning and budgeting skills
Play for a local football team
Teamwork skills, shows commitment/reliability
Babysits for family
Childcare skills, happy to take on responsibility
Helps out with household chores
Organised and efficient, food preparation/catering experience
Took part in school play
Presentation skills, confident in front of an audience
Enjoy computer games, using the internet
Good IT skills, enjoy researching information
Enjoy fixing my car/bike/scooter
Excellent practical skills, technically minded, problem solving skills
Like to do things my own way
Innovative, self-motivated
Like to be told how to do things
Able to follow instructions accurately, methodical worker
Attended school on time, every day
Good attendance records, punctual and reliable
Didn’t take many exams at school but regret it now
Willing to train and gain further skills and qualification
Good at getting friends to do what I want them to do
Able to organise and motivate others, effective negotiation skills
Always hand homework in on time
Able to meet deadlines, excellent planning skills, effective time manager
Friends come to me to talk about problems
Sympathetic, good listener, caring attitude
Worked in a school shop
Experience of cash handling, happy to take on responsibility
inquisitive, knowledge, planning, budgeting, organisation, cultural sensitivity, leadership, languages
Looking after relatives (older/younger)
patience, responsibility, sense of humour
Prefect
confidence, diplomacy, responsibility
Voluntary work
social conscience, reliability, motivation, caring
Languages
intellect, cultural interest, written/spoken ability, interpreter, sensitivity, communicator
Driving
competent, careful, conscientious, safe
Youth Club/Scouts/Guides
discipline, loyalty, commitment, group member
If you are a member of a church or mosque or if you regularly go to a temple, think how that may also show your skills of discipline, loyalty and commitment.
Finally – some CV Advice from Employers
Content:
Don’t use text speak – we will throw your CV away
Don’t use large fonts – it makes us think that you have nothing to say and you are just trying to fill the page
Don’t just write one block of text with no paragraphs. We might receive hundreds of CVs for one vacancy. If yours is too difficult to read, we will not bother
Add any voluntary work you’ve done
Put something in about absence, attendance and punctuality. If you had really good attendance at school then tell us, we need reliable people
Show that you are flexible. Tell us what hours/days you can work
Tell us about your interests. Don’t just write ‘I play football’. We want to see your interest and dedication
Handing it in:
Make sure you look smart when you hand a CV in – we do notice
If you want to work in a fashion store, then show us that you are interested in fashion by the way you dress – both when you drop off your CV and at the interview
Never ask your parent or carer to hand in a CV for you – it looks like you can’t be bothered to do it yourself
Don’t just walk in and drop off your CV, try to choose a time when we are not busy and ask to speak to the manager. Talk to us – we want to see your personality
Want to speak to one of our friendly team?
Get in Touch
Find Us
One Stop Shop, Oldbury Council House, Freeth Street, Oldbury, B69 3DB