CVs and Applications
Most of the information on this page is about writing CVs. The information is also appropriate for the skills based and evidence questions in application forms. The process for both is about evaluating and matching your skills and experience to the job or course you are applying for.
Included on this page are some recommended links, basic pointers, comments and suggested reading. Get in touch with us at any stage for individual help with CVs and applications. The process of producing a CV is virtually the same as personal development planning (PDP). The PDP materials are very useful to help you develop the crucial content of your CV.
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CVs
Often the starting point for serious thinking about your career plans; CVs can be a daunting prospect. You are required to think about yourself from a marketing perspective: what can you offer an employer that would interest them and what do they want from employees?
What is the purpose of a CV?
Your aim with a CV and a covering letter is to get the interview or meeting you require. Fundamental to this is provoking interest. It has been shown that many employers decide within 30 seconds whether to give a CV serious consideration.
Another less obvious purpose behind producing a CV is to help clarify your own objectives and achievements. This may be something you set yourself to do but is also a requirement in some course modules. The process involved requires careful reflection and consideration regarding where you are coming from, what you are currently doing, what you want and what you can offer an employer.
When would you use a CV?
A CV can have multiple uses. As well as the obvious function of applying for jobs (especially where there is no application form or you are applying on spec) you will also need a CV to help with applications for work-experience.
CVs are also useful when dealing with recruitment agencies and visiting careers events. You can also leave a copy of your CV with anyone who has agreed to act as a referee on your behalf - it saves them from floundering. Having a serious CV is also a key component of the creative job hunting. This is a more dynamic approach to job hunting that shifts the emphasis from a traditional (and more passive) response to advertised jobs to actively engineering opportunities.
One or two key points before starting
A CV is a marketing tool. It shouldn't contain your life history but it needs to be unique to you. If someone else on your course could pick up your CV and duplicate most of the content then your CV is almost certainly too general and too vague.
Wherever possible relate the CV to opportunities you are trying for. Often referred to as targeting - it's about being clear what you want.
Producing your CV
There are no absolute rules with CVs but there are some commonly agreed areas:
- Use a simple and uncluttered layout. Make it easy for the reader to navigate.
- Use clear headings (don't just follow a template or one example) that match your content.
- Generally stick to a maximum of two sides of A4. Some guides (mostly American ones) encourage a one-sided resume approach; this is quite challenging but not necessary. If you are producing an academic CV for research / assistantship posts etc you can make it as long as you like.
- Positive vocabulary is crucial.
- Manage your chronology and make sure that all your dates sync up.
Use examples to demonstrate your value - from your experience, knowledge, achievements and skills.
The universal person specification / skill set
Thinking about what employers are looking for and the challenge to demonstrate you have those things. Writing a CV or job application effectively a matching process: you match yourself to what the employer wants.
Every profession and sector is different and you always need to understand the particular balance of skills and qualities that are required. However, graduate roles frequently require the same universal skills and qualities. There are many different ways to classify them. Here is one model:
- High level communication skills
- Problem solving
- Team work
- Initiative and motivation
- Numeracy skills
- IT skills
- Resilience
- Leadership
- Research, analysis and interpretation skills
- Commercial awareness
- Project management skills
- Customer service and sales skills
- Organisation and administration skills
- Responsible for own learning and development
- Plus specific knowledge and skills for the particular role
Use this template to focus your thinking when looking for relevant content in your CV. If you know exactly what you are aiming for you need to assess the particular requirements of that area.
If you find it difficult to get started and translate your experience into a meaningful profile try using the Skills In Action list along with our Verb Prompts. Think about study, work experience and other activities and audit them with these lists. This process gives you the chance to see your experience in a fresh way. Also have a look at the Skills and Achievements Profile on the PDP pages.
What if you've got no relevant experience?
Be creative and draw on aspects of your course. Look for subject areas of your course that may be relevant to the job. Work related assignments, presentations and research can be very helpful. Many students have used their dissertation to great effect in a CV.
Think about achievements outside your study through sport, volunteering, personal interest etc. Obviously you would use your work experience and employment but it is sometimes assumed that jobs that are unrelated (and maybe somewhat routine) are of no use. This is not the case: your punctuality, reliability, enthusiasm, team work, resilience, customer service skills, supervisory work etc can all be used to demonstrate your value.
Another technique is to think about your capabilities. What can you do? Even if you haven't got direct proof of this you can look at finding ways to express your potential.
There will always be some gaps in your experience and in you skills. You need to take a proactive approach and plug the gaps. There are numerous ways of approaching this:
- Do some relevant voluntary work (this will also make you happier)
- Aim for a part-time or holiday job that might help
- Get specific (even if unpaid) work-experience
- Get advice from people in the profession
- Create a project to develop the missing skills / knowledge / experience
Much of the impact created by your CV will come from your use of language. Simply focusing on using a strong and upbeat vocabulary will help lift your CV and communicate a sense of enthusiasm. Many guides in this area have entertaining titles, the Prospects section is called 'The Power Words List', ours is a little more modest Verb Prompts.
Make sure you use short sentences. Try aiming for a maximum of 15 words. It can be difficult and is different from your academic style of writing. Shorter sentences increase readability and should eliminate any deviation or woffle.
Another anti-woffle device is bullet points. These can concentrate the mind: exactly what are you trying to say with each one?
You can also consider omitting the first person pronoun. Using 'I' and 'my' throughout a CV can be tedious, it's also unnecessary as it's your CV so everything in it has to be about you! Taking them out usually sharpens up the text and gives the CV a more authoritative quality.
Structure and headings
Many people refer to different types of CVs: chronological, skills based, functional, targeted etc. These can sometimes be a distraction. Any CV designed for practical use should be targeted. The sole driver for what goes in to the CV, the order it goes in and the headings used is content.
Some headings such as 'name' and 'address' are irrelevant. For many people the usual suspects such as 'Education', 'Employment', 'Additional Skills and Experience' are fine. You adapt according to your needs. If you have some unpaid work-experience you'd like to make prominent along with some paid work you can use 'Work-Experience' or even 'Experience' as an umbrella for both areas. Choose the headings and layout according to what you want to say.
Ancient history
Do you really need to tell future employers about your two week work placement from Year 10? If you have a previous life and a number of jobs in your background (especially if you are a mature student) you might want to think about a cut off point. Employers are unlikely to want to know about more than three or four jobs or about work you did in the early 80s.
One technique if you have a number of jobs is to highlight the interesting ones and group the others historically. E.g. Between 1981 - 87 variety of office temp and retail work.
Another approach, especially if the order is mixed-up, is to use a skills based approach which allows you to draw from a variety of sources; degree, part-time, sport, voluntary etc. You do this by grouping under headings such as 'Communication', 'Customer Service', 'Team Work'. Again, you use your content as the guide.
Personal Profile
A recent trend with CVs has been the introduction of a personal profile. Effectively an introduction or summary it highlights the key points you wish to make and attempts to grab the reader's attention. Some examples use a heading - ones to avoid include 'Job Target' or 'Executive Summary' - others simply use the location and layout, directly beneath the personal details, to establish it as an introduction.
A simple formula is to describe what you've done, what you're doing now and what you want to do from a strong and confident perspective. It can position the whole CV and it also acts as a way of ensuring your message is clear. Emails and covering letters often become separated so the CV needs to be self-contained.
It is sometimes easier to write a long essay or report than a hundred words that do exactly what you want them to. As with all areas of careers and self assessment any and all effort is rewarded. If you find the process difficult try leaving it to the end. When you are happy with the rest of your content try approaching the profile as a distillation of the CV; the highlights or essential message.
As a general rule keep a profile to a maximum of three to four sentences. Two good examples of personal profiles can be found on the Bradley's CV site. A profile can be extended with a few relevant bullet points; these can either follow on directly or have another heading such as 'Key Skills' or 'Achievements'.
Prospects
A good source of information for graduates on compiling a CV and covering letter is Prospects. Try the main gateway for applications and interviews where you can select the areas you need: www.prospects.ac.uk/links/appsinterviews.
Example CVs
Some different approaches to writing a CV are covered on the 'Styles of CV' page on Prospects. The most common approach is the chronological listing - but you can use others including a skills based and a 'targeted' approach (see the section on structure and headings above). Also includes examples of academic CVs.
A home grown childhood studies example as a Word document.
Bradley CVs is a commercial CV site. The three examples are of people with substantial experience but the approach and style is relevant regardless of age or experience. They are very sharp and concise; well worth a look for a more contemporary approach: www.bradleycvs.co.uk/cvservice/examcv.htm.
Alec.co.uk has some useful examples. It shares some examples with Bradley's CVs, make sure you use the section marked UK/Europe for relevant material. There are also some useful tips and suggestions available.
Teaching CVs are in the 'Getting a Teaching Job' booklet linked on the NQT page.
Evaluate Your CV
Come and see us to discuss your CV once you have made a start. Getting feedback and insights from others can help overcome the reluctance most people experience when starting a CV. Also try someone you trust and who knows you well, they are in a good position to highlight qualities or achievements that you might have missed.
Try our evaluation worksheet to test out your CV against a range of criteria. Download a copy of Rate Your CV 04.
Check, check and check again
The classic complaint from employers is that many / most(?) CVs containing spelling mistakes and other errors. Obviously this is costly. Spell checks are happy with words that are spelt correctly but won't pick up the wrong use of a homophone (words that sound the same but are spelt differently and have different meanings). Find a grammar fanatic to proof read your CV before releasing it into the wild.
Covering letters
The primary role of a covering letter or email is to introduce and support the CV. If you are sending a CV as a speculative application you must make sure you address it to the appropriate person. There is nothing more likely to get your speculative CV in the bin than 'dear sir/madam...'
It doesn't need to be too long. Many examples of cover letters including some on the Prospects website are very long. It's probably better to be short and sharp.
The language is less formal and more personal than the CV. A possible structure you could use is:
- First paragraph - who you are, what you are applying for, where you saw the ad or, in a speculative application, your reason for writing.
- Second paragraph - why you are applying to this particular organisation and this particular role.
- Third paragraph - key relevant skills or experience from your CV to get the reader interested.
- Fourth paragraph - availability for interview and closing pleasantries.
Application Forms - Select Simulator
Select Simulator is an excellent online application system. You can use it to put together a standard application which you can update and use to help you with the real thing. It's also a good way to organise your thoughts about what you have to offer a prospective employer - you are encouraged to think about your achievements and skills. The system also includes several targeted questions, with word counts, to reflect the trend of many employers to ask for more explicit evidence of your capabilities. Takes two minutes to register: http://selectsimulator.com/Welcome.asp
Career Management Skills Online
Try the 'Effective Applications' section of Career Management Skills available only on the University campus network. This careers software has some very useful exercises and guides taking you through each area of your CV. You may wish to also refer to the earlier 'Finding Your Profile' to get the most out of this program.
Conflicting Advice
You'll get a lot of different views on how to do a CV, what to put in it, in what order, the sort of headings it should have etc. How do you decide which advice to take seriously?
Work on the basis of what you think is the most appropriate advice based on the reasoning behind that advice. In the end it's your CV - you'll want be comfortable with it and you'll need to decide what is right for you.
Paying For Your CV
There are many organisations, often with a presence on the web, which offer private CV writing services, a simple search on Google UK will give you dozens. Although you may get a good CV through doing this it's unlikely that you'll go through the reflective process that is so critical to identifying your unique skills, achievements and qualities. If you do choose this route look carefully at how the process works and be clear what you get for your money.
Recommended Books
The Perfect CV - Tom Jackson
Although this is an American book using the single page resume approach his demonstration of how to home-in on your strengths is very impressive. There are a 100 plus examples covering different occupational areas and different levels of qualifications and experience.
The Perfect CV - Max Eggart
Same title as above but this time a UK author and setting. A very direct approach; a little skewed towards business careers but excellent ideas and advice.
The Ultimate CV Book - Martin Yate
Features many examples in a contemporary style.
The above books are available for reference use in the Bishop Otter Library. We also stock free copies of the excellent AGCAS/Prospects booklet 'Making Applications'