The purpose of a well written CV is to secure an interview. The average recruiter will look at a new CV for about 15 seconds only, so it is important that it is regarded as a piece of marketing material that has headlines, is clear and neat, well structured and detailed, otherwise the reader may lose interest and move on to the next CV in the pile. A graduate level CV should not be longer than 2 sides. For experienced professionals, the length is not important.
As a minimum, the following key information should stand out:
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Your location and ability to relocate.
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Current job title with dates of employment.
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Current Employer.
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Mobile phone number and email.
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Degree and professional qualifications (with results).
For a free example CV template, follow this link.
While a covering letter should be a way for you to communicate your motivation for wanting to move positions, a well written CV should give the reader a detailed picture of your current status, what you do on a day-to-day basis and your current responsibilities & achievements. Some pointers:
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Try to quantify your achievements as much as possible.
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Keep the length to a minimum but emphasise the aspects that are more relevant to the role.
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Space the text out, make headings clear and bold, and make sure that all paragraphs are consistently aligned. Make sure all events are dated including qualifications and employment.
Recommended CV structure:
Personal Information
Full name, address, Telephone numbers, E-mail address, work permit / visa eligibility.
Summary / Personal Statement
Summarise your career and state what sort of role you are looking for in a couple of sentences. If you include the broad key words for the type of role you are searching for, this will make your CV more searchable on recruitment agency databases. You could also use bullets to give the reader a bite-sized summary of your skills.
Employment History
Put your employment history in reverse chronological order, including dates, responsibilities and achievements.
Allocate the most space to your most recent or most relevant jobs. Be sure to include a thorough bulleted list of all responsibilities and achievements.
If you do not work for a well known company, it is worth including a paragraph to explain the nature of the business.
Make sure there are no time gaps in your CV and that all work and travel is accounted for with corresponding dates.
Qualifications
List your degrees, professional qualifications, associations and work related training.
Remember to include the dates, names and locations of all academic institutions. A-Level subjects and grades may be important if you are a junior candidate.
Interests
Be brief in listing your interests. Team sport activities and achievement of personal goals may say something positive about you.