Preparing your CV for the Careers Development Service website

Today's CV is very different from what prevailed some years ago. It is now very much a selling tool with you as the product on offer. It is a snapshot designed to get you an interview and then provide a basis for discussion. It is a vital document, so it is well worth spending time getting it exactly right, taking advice as needed. The basic rules and structure most typically followed are given below and in the attached template. When registering with the Careers Development Service, we strongly recommend that you download this template and complete it offline before setting up your Personal Career Profile.

• Two pages only covering your career history and qualifications.
• Name at the top, followed by address and other contact details.
• Follow this with 4 to 6 key skills that must include action words.
• Start with a paragraph (no more than 4 lines) summarising who/ what you are.
  Tip: this takes the most thought and may be best left until you have completed the rest. This paragraph is best highlighted in some way, eg bold type, or placed within a frame/box.
• Career history must start with the current or last job (ie reverse chronological order). Give a brief description of the role and responsibility followed by a few key achievements (ie not simply a list of what you did). Be brief as more detail can be given at the interview stage - thus include things that you want an interviewer to ask you to expand upon. If you have had more than about 4 employers, then any others can be summarised in a paragraph.
• Education, Training, CPD and Professional Memberships/Qualifications is a key section where you should again summarise what has been achieved.
• Keep the personal details (hobbies etc) very short. If you have nothing to say then it is best to say nothing rather than contrive a list. However, this is an opportunity to highlight anything special or different - Recent research shows that 72% of candidates fail to differentiate themselves from others. 75% of CV's listed 'Keeping Fit' as a hobby; travelling is also a popular choice and 9% are interested in the theatre. To stand out candidates should list hobbies that show them as team players or include unusual interests to help interviewers remember them such as skydiving, bivouacking and belly dancing - provided they are genuine of course.

The document must also be viewed as dynamic rather than static. In keeping it short, you will have been forced to leave out things that you wanted to include. However, this CV can be further tuned to each specific job you may apply for, or to each networking opportunity to ensure that it presents your experience and expertise in the way most relevant to that situation.

Once drafted, try to get input from others on how it can be improved. At least get somebody else to check for spelling mistakes and errors that you may have missed.

If you really can't get it right and have nobody to assist you, then go to a CV Writing Service, as this is a critical document.

Remember to come back and review/update your CV regularly. Once you have completed the registration process, there is more advice contained in the 'Resources' section of the web site. It is particularly worth reading the section on 'Self-Analysis'.

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