Curriculum Vitae

Your CV is often the first impression a prospective employer gets so it is worth spending time making sure it is right.

Compiling a CV
First of all, what is a CV? It is a document that is:

• A simple description of past jobs and education
• Targeted specifically for your career direction
• A description of your capabilities
• A record of your achievements
• A marketing tool designed for impact

Before you prepare your CV there are a few things that you should do to make the preparation process easier. Firstly, read the advertisement and job description if you have access to one and establish what skills and experience are required for the job. Then decide whether your skills, experience and qualifications match the job for which you are applying and, if so, how best to market them.

Some do's and don'ts:

• DO

• Focus on items that are most relevant to the position
• Adopt a short and simple structure that is easy to read
• Focus on facts and results in a clear and consistent format

• DON'T

• Include trivia or irrelevant details
• Use gratuitous descriptions of yourself
• Use 'i' - it is implied throughout

One way of formatting your details is the chronological CV where you start with your most recent job and work backwards. If you have a long career history, describe in detail only those jobs covering the last 8-10 years or the last 3 or 4 jobs whichever is the shorter. Use a list format for the remaining jobs and if appropriate summarise other relevant details. List education and references at the end. Put name, address and contact numbers at the beginning.

Just a few notes on presenting your details. Use UPPERCASE for important headings or titles. Underlining is not easy on the eye. Use italics and bold sparingly. Use top quality print and paper and aim for two A4 pages of text.

Keep it short, snappy and relevant!