Writing CVs: Advice on How to Attract Interest and Secure Job Interviews

Taking time to prepare a good CV is the best way to make sure recruiters sit up and take notice of your application immediately.

What Order Should a CV Have?
Most recruiters and employers prefer the following order of CV content:

Your contact details
Profile/personal statement (optional)
Professional qualifications
Education
Employment history
Recent experience is most relevant and deserves the most detail
Additional information
e.g. IT skills, hobbies
References

What Content Is Necessary?

Contact Details

Include your name, address, email and preferred telephone number prominently on the top of your CV and summary details on every page in the header or footer.
Profile/Personal Statement (Optional).

Education: Reduce detail as the qualifications become less recent or important
Employment History: Give enough relevant information about your previous employers and projects to interest the reader, but not enough to send them to sleep. List your duties, responsibilities and the reporting structure you worked within and any unusual features of your role or project or experience.

Provide the technical information that is relevant to your experience in the context of the employer it refers to. Focus on the benefits of the experience you have gained, rather than on the features of it.

Indicate the benefits of your contributions to the efficient running of your previous employers' projects.

Avoid exaggerating any facts or information

References

It is adequate to state 'Available on Request' at the end. However, if you have already made enquiries and know who is happy to be a referee, it is worth adding them now. Recent references are most appropriate in normal circumstances.

Format

Consider the layout of your CV carefully, and the first impression it gives.
Leave your CV uncluttered from distracting italics, capitals and colours.
Much benefit can be gained from using bullet points, bold font and under lining to emphasize the most important information.

Checking

It is vital to spell check your CV for typing and spelling errors, that could draw attention to your details for the wrong reasons. Check you have your word processor using the UK dictionary setting.