Nicola - Personal Details
It may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people forget to include their name, email, and contact phone number. To avoid any awkward moments, make sure these are clearly presented at the top of your CV. ‘Curriculum Vitae’ is an unnecessary title – your name is not.
Lucy - Personal Statement
As it’s the first thing that’s shown on your CV and our first intro to you, a personal statement is an essential part of standing out from the crowd. It explains who you are, what you’re offering, and what you’re looking for and if you can tailor this to the role you're applying for, even better. Aim to prove why you’re suitable in one short and succinct paragraph.
Olivia - Work Experience
This section should include all of your relevant work experience, listed with the most recent first. You don't need to list your whole work history, especially if it's no longer relevant, but try and outline at least the last 5 years to show the reader what it is you've been doing. Include your job title, the name of the organisation, time in post, and your key responsibilities.
Katie - Achievements
This is sometimes the most important section of your CV - what impact you have had in a role. This is your chance to show how your previous experience has given you the skills needed to make you a suitable candidate - it could be a new process you've implemented, a project you've launched or cost savings to the business. List all of your relevant skills and achievements (backing them up with examples).
Matt - Education
Your educational experience and achievements should be listed here, along with dates, the type of qualification and/or the grade you achieved – although the specific parts of education that you include in your CV will depend on your individual situation. If you have a degree for example, you might not need to list college or school grades.
If you have more educational achievements than work experience, placing an emphasis on this section is a good idea.
Natasha - Hobbies and Interests
You don’t always need to include hobbies and interests in your CV, but mentioning relevant ones could back up your skills and help you to stand out from the crowd – if you enjoy volunteering, or raising money for charities close to your heart, not to mention giving us an insight into who you are but if it’s not going to add value, feel free to leave it out.
