The perfect CV layout/Guide/HELP!
Discussion
I used this for my last CV:
[url]www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/resume/resume.html[/url]
and yes, i got the job!
[url]www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/resume/resume.html[/url]
and yes, i got the job!
Im going for a job which I dont believe I am fully qualified for but im hoping to give it a shot and see what they say.
I dont want to live through life wondering "what if" and I believe I have the right qualities to do well. I just need a good CV layout that allows me to make a good impression and get an interview. I probably dont stand a chance, but if you dont go for these opportunities you'll never know...
Thanks to everyone who has helped so far, much appreciated!!
>> Edited by BCA on Tuesday 27th January 22:48
I dont want to live through life wondering "what if" and I believe I have the right qualities to do well. I just need a good CV layout that allows me to make a good impression and get an interview. I probably dont stand a chance, but if you dont go for these opportunities you'll never know...
Thanks to everyone who has helped so far, much appreciated!!
>> Edited by BCA on Tuesday 27th January 22:48
I read loads of CVs for work and there are too many mistakes to mention here but a quick guide is:
0. PROOF READ - NOT YOU - GET SOMEONE WITH A GOOD GRASP OF GRAMMAR AND SPELLING TO DO IT FOR YOU. I see too many simple mistakes on PH to assume that this is not necessary!
1. Keep it to a couple of pages, any more and the person gets bored.
2. Tailor it to each job app. ESPECIALLY if you are going for a career change as you can stress the skills/experience that are relevant and play down the rest.
3. Clearly, and at the top, put your name, address, and contact details (you would be surprised how many people forget to do this). If you put a mobile no on BE PREPARED TO ANSWER IT!
4. Put a list of Key skills first. This will attract their attention and make them want to read the rest of the CV.
5. Then put WORK EXPERIENCE. Unless you are fresh out of Uni/school (I assume you are not). The person will not give a toss how many O levels/GSCEs you have if you are above the age of 25.
6. If you had 3 barjobs and a waiter job in 1973 after you left college do not put it in unless you are that 'fresh from Uni' person. They are not relevant to what you do now if you are an enginner for example. Use the space to put more relevant facts in.
7. Never lie. You will be caught.
8. Don't bother with hobbies and interests - they are not relevant to the job.
9. Don't put down referees. They are not relevant until you have got an offer.
10. Don't put salary details in. If you are after a job at 30k and you are currently on 20K (EVEN IF IT IS EXACTLY THE SAME JOB) there is a danger that people will not take you seriously. Most employers have a salary range in mind anyway and the only possible use for this information is to rule you out if you are already earning too much or to offer you less than you are worth.
11. Do it in Word or some good word processor and learn to use styles, margins, consistent paragraph spacing, lines etc. Remember white space is your friend not your enemy!
12. KEEP TO ONE FONT ONLY, more than one looks shite. Use bold, italic but NEVER UNDERLINE, it looks really nasty and tacky. And if you are sending it electronically don't use anything other than standard fonts i.e. Times New Roman, Arial.
13. Learn to punctuate correctly. Buy Eats, Shoots and Leaves here. Great book, very funny and useful.
HTH
Ace-T
PS please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors, I am very tired
0. PROOF READ - NOT YOU - GET SOMEONE WITH A GOOD GRASP OF GRAMMAR AND SPELLING TO DO IT FOR YOU. I see too many simple mistakes on PH to assume that this is not necessary!
1. Keep it to a couple of pages, any more and the person gets bored.
2. Tailor it to each job app. ESPECIALLY if you are going for a career change as you can stress the skills/experience that are relevant and play down the rest.
3. Clearly, and at the top, put your name, address, and contact details (you would be surprised how many people forget to do this). If you put a mobile no on BE PREPARED TO ANSWER IT!
4. Put a list of Key skills first. This will attract their attention and make them want to read the rest of the CV.
5. Then put WORK EXPERIENCE. Unless you are fresh out of Uni/school (I assume you are not). The person will not give a toss how many O levels/GSCEs you have if you are above the age of 25.
6. If you had 3 barjobs and a waiter job in 1973 after you left college do not put it in unless you are that 'fresh from Uni' person. They are not relevant to what you do now if you are an enginner for example. Use the space to put more relevant facts in.
7. Never lie. You will be caught.
8. Don't bother with hobbies and interests - they are not relevant to the job.
9. Don't put down referees. They are not relevant until you have got an offer.
10. Don't put salary details in. If you are after a job at 30k and you are currently on 20K (EVEN IF IT IS EXACTLY THE SAME JOB) there is a danger that people will not take you seriously. Most employers have a salary range in mind anyway and the only possible use for this information is to rule you out if you are already earning too much or to offer you less than you are worth.
11. Do it in Word or some good word processor and learn to use styles, margins, consistent paragraph spacing, lines etc. Remember white space is your friend not your enemy!
12. KEEP TO ONE FONT ONLY, more than one looks shite. Use bold, italic but NEVER UNDERLINE, it looks really nasty and tacky. And if you are sending it electronically don't use anything other than standard fonts i.e. Times New Roman, Arial.
13. Learn to punctuate correctly. Buy Eats, Shoots and Leaves here. Great book, very funny and useful.
HTH
Ace-T
PS please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors, I am very tired
Ace-T said:
I read loads of CVs for work and there are too many mistakes to mention here but a quick guide is:
0. PROOF READ - NOT YOU - GET SOMEONE WITH A GOOD GRASP OF GRAMMAR AND SPELLING TO DO IT FOR YOU. I see too many simple mistakes on PH to assume that this is not necessary!
1. Keep it to a couple of pages, any more and the person gets bored.
2. Tailor it to each job app. ESPECIALLY if you are going for a career change as you can stress the skills/experience that are relevant and play down the rest.
3. Clearly, and at the top, put your name, address, and contact details (you would be surprised how many people forget to do this). If you put a mobile no on BE PREPARED TO ANSWER IT!
4. Put a list of Key skills first. This will attract their attention and make them want to read the rest of the CV.
5. Then put WORK EXPERIENCE. Unless you are fresh out of Uni/school (I assume you are not). The person will not give a toss how many O levels/GSCEs you have if you are above the age of 25.
6. If you had 3 barjobs and a waiter job in 1973 after you left college do not put it in unless you are that 'fresh from Uni' person. They are not relevant to what you do now if you are an enginner for example. Use the space to put more relevant facts in.
7. Never lie. You will be caught.
8. Don't bother with hobbies and interests - they are not relevant to the job.
9. Don't put down referees. They are not relevant until you have got an offer.
10. Don't put salary details in. If you are after a job at 30k and you are currently on 20K (EVEN IF IT IS EXACTLY THE SAME JOB) there is a danger that people will not take you seriously. Most employers have a salary range in mind anyway and the only possible use for this information is to rule you out if you are already earning too much or to offer you less than you are worth.
11. Do it in Word or some good word processor and learn to use styles, margins, consistent paragraph spacing, lines etc. Remember white space is your friend not your enemy!
12. KEEP TO ONE FONT ONLY, more than one looks shite. Use bold, italic but NEVER UNDERLINE, it looks really nasty and tacky. And if you are sending it electronically don't use anything other than standard fonts i.e. Times New Roman, Arial.
13. Learn to punctuate correctly. Buy Eats, Shoots and Leaves here. Great book, very funny and useful.
HTH
Ace-T
PS please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors, I am very tired
Thanks!
A little background info:
I dont even go to Uni yet!
The job relates to my interests and hobbies - therefore I believe it might be worth mentioning them?
I only have various bits of work experience and have no real idea of what salary to expect/ its not really important to me anyway.
I am currently in full higher education is it worth putting my current qualifications down?
This really is a longshot at trying to get a decent job before I go to Uni and they dont really ask for any qualifications as such. They seem to only be interested in my ability to communicate my opinions and have an interest in the job area itself.
The job is to do with cars and im just about the biggest petrolhead I know! Its worth a shot!?!
I guess I should have checked your profile 
but a lot of what I have said still applies. Most importantly the bits about the skills.
You can divide this up into skills you have gained through experience (even if it is only a little) and ones you have gained from your hobbies etc.
I would still put the skills before the education though as this is the bit they need to see, and you need to make the most of.
HTH anyway
Ace-T
but a lot of what I have said still applies. Most importantly the bits about the skills. You can divide this up into skills you have gained through experience (even if it is only a little) and ones you have gained from your hobbies etc.
I would still put the skills before the education though as this is the bit they need to see, and you need to make the most of.
HTH anyway
Ace-T
www.prior-chelt.co.uk/public/cv/cv.htm
This one got me the job i'm starting next monday. It's lost the formatting a bit though. The university stuff at the end is relevent as it was for a work placement.
This one got me the job i'm starting next monday. It's lost the formatting a bit though. The university stuff at the end is relevent as it was for a work placement.
My wife is a self employed recruiter - I read a lot of cvs.
As a guide you should be able to tell if the person is worth interviewing within 15 seconds.
Yes, I am being absolutely serious.
Everything should fit onto one side of A4. Save file in .doc format. Never colour it, always justify left.
The logic is that if you use a recruiter any cv will be scanned in an most programmes can't cope with anything else, which forces scanning and data entry for which many companies will do - when they can be bothered. Ensure you make life convenient for them.
Format must be:-
Name,
Address,
Phone number.
Current job,
Previous job(s)
First job
For each of these:-
Employer name, Town,
Job title, summary of what job entails. Use every buzzword and the abbreviation of it too.
Education-
Uni,
Secondary school
Additional training.
Send me your cv offline to review if you want a second opinion.
As a guide you should be able to tell if the person is worth interviewing within 15 seconds.
Yes, I am being absolutely serious.
Everything should fit onto one side of A4. Save file in .doc format. Never colour it, always justify left.
The logic is that if you use a recruiter any cv will be scanned in an most programmes can't cope with anything else, which forces scanning and data entry for which many companies will do - when they can be bothered. Ensure you make life convenient for them.
Format must be:-
Name,
Address,
Phone number.
Current job,
Previous job(s)
First job
For each of these:-
Employer name, Town,
Job title, summary of what job entails. Use every buzzword and the abbreviation of it too.
Education-
Uni,
Secondary school
Additional training.
Send me your cv offline to review if you want a second opinion.
I'm trying to create a cv for an (engineering) internship during my summer break from Uni.
The internship is relevant to my course so would it be necessary to outline the specific course details?
What sort of format/layout would be suitable? bearing in mind that I'm only 19 and have not had much experience (worked intermittantly for a supermarket).
Any advice would be much appreciated.
The internship is relevant to my course so would it be necessary to outline the specific course details?
What sort of format/layout would be suitable? bearing in mind that I'm only 19 and have not had much experience (worked intermittantly for a supermarket).
Any advice would be much appreciated.
agent006 said:
<a href="http://www.prior-chelt.co.uk/public/cv/cv.htm"><a href="http://www.prior-chelt.co.uk/public/cv/cv.htm">www.prior-chelt.co.uk/public/cv/cv.htm</a></a>
This one got me the job i'm starting next monday. It's lost the formatting a bit though. The university stuff at the end is relevent as it was for a work placement.
Alec,
For future reference, it's AD 'integrated' DNS (not embedded) and VPN over ADSL (not using ADSL).
Congratulations on getting your new job!
DJ
>> Edited by _DJ_ on Wednesday 28th January 14:48
>> Edited by _DJ_ on Wednesday 28th January 14:49
. It really is a long shot, but im going for it... ccam84 said:
I'm trying to create a cv for an (engineering) internship during my summer break from Uni.
The internship is relevant to my course so would it be necessary to outline the specific course details?
What sort of format/layout would be suitable? bearing in mind that I'm only 19 and have not had much experience (worked intermittantly for a supermarket).
Any advice would be much appreciated.
You need to need to format the cv differently:-
Name
Address
Education:
Uni + address, Course e.g BEng(Hons) Mech Eng - completed 1st year out of three.
School + address, qualifications: e.g. 3 A levels, 10 GCSEs
Work Experience desired:-
Say what you want to do. Don't be too specific. Trust the employer's judgement.
Work Experience gained:-
e.g.
2001-2003 Asda Supermarkets - Inventory dept. OK so you stack shelves but if you bother to work that is a big deal.
2001 Work experience at school - I spent two weeks at Jones Engineering. The experience led me to follow a course of study in engineering.
Hobbies:
Normally these don't count for anything but for work experience students they are critical. I'd say something about a car if you study Mech Eng or something about building programmable electronic kits if you study elec eng. Write about something that anybody would believe you have done and be prepared to talk about it at great length at the interview. This is basically your only relevent hard won experience.
zoe22 said:
I used this for my last CV:
[url]www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/resume/resume.html[/url]
and yes, i got the job!
eeeeek pop-up hell!
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