First impressions count, which is why it is crucial to have an up-to-date and well presented CV (curriculum vitae).  Often your first opportunity to ‘sell yourself’ to a potential employer, you will need to make sure you sound like a great prospect on paper if you want to get ahead.  At Humres Recruitment Ltd, we have come up with some top tips for CV success.  Read on to find out how to promote yourself...

Why send my CV? The purpose of your CV is to introduce your skills and experience to a prospective employer, with a view to being short listed for a face-to-face or telephone interview.  A showcase for your professional talents, a strong CV will ensure that you stand out amongst a sea of applicants. 

Where do I start?  Imagine yourself as a busy manager in your potential employer's office, faced with up to 100 CV’s to trawl through!  There are plenty of sample CV’s, support materials and fact sheets available from your local careers advice office, educational establishments, and even on-line, however, employers don’t just want to see a standard template and often look for those applicants that have made an effort to personalise their CV in way that draws the reader in.  By following a few simple rules you can make sure your CV doesn’t find its way to the recycling bin!

Always type your CV on a word processor and ensure it is well presented and printed on a good quality printer.

Do use bold and/or underline print for headings. Do not use lots of different font types and sizes. You are not designing a magazine cover!

Do use the spell-check on your computer or check that the spelling is correct in some way. Consider using bullet points to start sub-sections or lists and provide an easy-to-read format.

Customise your CV if necessary, changing the layout and the way you write your CV for different employers.

Keep it simple.  Try to keep your information to two pages, three at the most. If you really want to impress, put page numbers at the bottom of each page.

What information should I include?  Too much information and you risk boring your reader, too little and you risk being cast to the ‘no’ pile.  The following are the key points you must include if you are to be seriously considered for any role.

Personal details - including name, home address, college address, phone number, e-mail address, date of birth.

Educational background – starting with the most recent first, provide a brief history of educational establishments where you have studied, providing most detail for all further/higher education.  Include subject options taken in each year of your course, details of special training, projects and dissertations, pre-college courses etc.  Grades should be included.

Work experience – again starting with the most recent first, give the names of current and previous employers, job title, dates of employment, and a brief outline of your roles and responsibilities achieved in each job.  Part time and voluntary work should be included.

Personal interests – a potential employer will be keen to read about activities which relate in some way to the work you wish to do, or where you have taken on leadership or responsibility, or which involve you being part of a team.  Give brief details only at this stage, you can always explain more at interview.  If you have published any articles provide full details.

Skills – your specific skills are what make you stand apart from other candidates and could give you the edge in the recruitment process.  Language skills, computing experience, and possession of a driving licence should be included here.

References – aim to provide the names and full contact details of two referees including one from your place of study, and one from any work situation you have had if applicable. If this does not apply then use an older family friend who has known you for some time. Make sure that referees are willing to give you a reference.

Optional extras - It can be good to start with a Personal Profile/Objective Statement.
This is a two or three sentence overview of your skills, qualities, hopes and plans. It should encourage a prospective employer to read the rest.  If your personal presentation is up to scratch then why not include a good quality head and shoulders photo of yourself - either scanned in by computer, or stuck on.

How should I present it?  There are two main styles of CV, with variations within them - Chronological and Skills based.

Chronological - Information is included under general headings with the most recent events first - education, work experience, etc.

Skills based - You think through the necessary skills needed for the job you are applying for. Then you list all your personal details under these skill headings. This is called 'targeting your CV', and is becoming more common, at least in UK.