CV's

[Unwell Cat]

Anybody have experience in the best way to format, structure CV's.

Also what's the opinion of covering letters when applying through an agency, waste of time or worthwhile?

[dvdx2]

depends on the sector/job role you are applying for, but for a professional type job, i use;

Contact details
Profile/Personal Statement
Key competencies/Skills
Career Summary
Achievements
Training and Professional Development
Additional Information

andy's top 10 Tips

1 DONT WRITE THE WORDS CURRICULUM VITAE AT THE TOP!!!
2 2 pages max
3 pepper your CV with industry buzz words - (get a job profile from the learndirect website to aid with sector terminology)
4 Dont use italics or boxes
5 Start listing you most recent job first, and go back no furhter than 8 years
6 Dont say 'i like socialising' in your interests section (can be misinterpreted as this person is a piss head)
7 Keep it factual
8 Keep it tailored and relevant to the sector/job you are applying for
9 DOB is not required
10 References not required on a CV - replace with References available upon request

oh and a bonus tip - dont lie or over egg the truth, you must be able to demonstrate the competence by example

[tonyk100]

Being a bit old fashioned I like to see most recent jobs and qualifications put first, after contact details address etc.

don't put every job since your first paper round down unless work experience is very thin

sort out a new email address that looks professiona ratehr than mrhuggles@hotmail etc (puts me off)

interests and hobbies are nice to see for interview wind down time.

make sure I is in capital letters if you use it, but try to avoid first person as it shounds like 'what I learn at my first job,I did this then I did that etc, outline roles and bullet point key responsibilities skills learnt.

Reason for leaving is good to see, if not listed expect to be asked. If there are employemment gaps make sure they are reflected in the dates and be prepared to explain what you did in the between times, temp/agency/ home improvements/volunteering etc.

[endo]

A major point that bizarrely lots of people overlook: spellcheck and proofread what you've written, then check it again. Make sure it's clear and makes sense. When I see CVs with typos, bad spelling or plain gibberish, they go in the bin.

[Brats]

1 DONT WRITE THE WORDS CURRICULUM VITAE AT THE TOP!!!
4 Dont use italics or boxes

Never heard of these two before and I see loads of CVs. Obviously the CV needs to look professional so italics is probably a no-no, but boxes can help seperate the different sections and allow you to put more information in than you would otherwise.

If you're going for a non-IT job, it also indicates a degree of computer literacy (true).

9 DOB is not required

It's not required, but if you're under 40, definitely put it in. Although employers are not allowed to take age into consideration, they always do. A lack of a DOB sometimes indicates that you are older (else you would put it in).

This site has some excellent advise. I know people who have used it and got jobs fairly easily:

http://www.businessballs.com/curriculum.htm

[abigsmurf]

Yep the reccomendation is not to write Curriculum Vitae at the top. Better to put your name in big letters.

My CV helped me get my current job. It was completely unrelated to the job I applied for but my boss was impressed with my range of skills, saw I had only had the standard McJobs and was desperate to get a 'real' job and took me on.

[briareos_kerensky]

spellcheck and proofread what you've written, then check it again

Agreed. We are searching a couple of extra people at my place and the number of CV's we received with wrong e-mail and/or phone number is staggering.

1 DONT WRITE THE WORDS CURRICULUM VITAE AT THE TOP!!!

This puzzles me...why?

Interestingly, when I was applying for an art job in an advertising company I was criticized because I didn't use the standard European CV form; I found it quite strange because I always coordinated my CV's with my portfolio and always found it was a good start to show you can follow a common graphical baseline.

[abigsmurf]

This puzzles me...why?

High chance of misspelling and whoever will be reading the CV knows exactly what it is so putting it at the top is redundant anyway.

Better to put your name at the top so there's a chance it'll stick in their minds. I know some people would recommend a short snappy description of what your skills are too: ie titling it "Experienced purchasing manager"

[Brats]

High chance of misspelling and whoever will be reading the CV knows exactly what it is so putting it at the top is redundant anyway. "

They're not really reasons not to include it. Just make sure you spell it right. Plus there are loads of things that are redundant on documents, such as Yours sincerely/faithfully at the end of letters, but you still include them.

I can't believe that a sane employer would mark a CV down for including the title of the document at the top. That's one of those points that tells the employer absolutely nothing about the individual.

[PeteJ]

In my limited experience of interviewing I've found that I only get handed the CV minutes before the interviewee walks through the door, so having their name in big letters across the top does help.

Also keep it tidy and short, no more than two pages. No need to have personal stuff such as "I enjoy throwing badgers" either, unless it has bearing on the job itself.

[endo]

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the 'interests' section.

Who gives a toss if you like doing crochet on the weekends- how's it going to affect your performance at work? In my interviewing experience, if someone's so arsed about the candidate's outside interests, they can ask them.

Lots of people tend to put mundane stuff like reading down too, with the aim of making them seem more intelligent. People seldom write the truth in that section, so it's pointless. That said, if someone just put 'I like to sit around in my underwear, drinking beer and playing videogames' I might be inclined to pick them just on that basis.

[Taka]

Regarding the "Curriculum Vitae" at the top, I tend to put my name in the header and then put "Curriculum Viate: <my name>" on the top of the second page, just in case the first page gets mixed up amongst others in a pile. Seems to have worked well so far, receiving comments like "very tidy CV" during interviews past.

[Brats]

I would put my name in big letters and the Curriculum Vitae in smaller letters directly underneath in a smaller font so that they are the same length.

[abigsmurf]

They're not really reasons not to include it. Just make sure you spell it right. Plus there are loads of things that are redundant on documents, such as Yours sincerely/faithfully at the end of letters, but you still include them.

I can't believe that a sane employer would mark a CV down for including the title of the document at the top. That's one of those points that tells the employer absolutely nothing about the individual.

It's not so much about stopping it from being marked down, as making your CV more memorable.

When your CV is one of 30, anything you can do to get to the last 5 to be interviewed helps. The more CVs they have to read, the less time they will spend on each deciding which to take further.

[Brad]

I'd say make sure your spelling and grammar is spot on. I've found that most people have pretty poor grammar so it might not be important but if you have a grammar Nazi* reading your CV then having spot on grammar could make all the difference.

*e.g. me. If I get a CV with a spelling mistake I stop reading it. If someone takes that little care when seeking employment...

Good luck dude.