A CV is your chance to impress an employer. It is an advertisement for your skills and experience. Make your CV the best it can be.
What to include in your CV:
Personal Profile
Your Personal Profile needs to be about 4 or 5 lines about your main strengths and skills.
Tips to get you started - some of the strengths employers look for:
- Good communication skills
- Teamwork
- Ability to work alone
- Organisational skills
- Enthusiasm
- Reliability
- Good timekeeping and punctuality
- Trustworthiness
- Ability to follow instructions
- Work well under pressure
- Motivation
Read the job description and our Job Information Leaflets to find some strengths and skills to include.
Employment
Include:
- Your job title
- Company's name and place of employment (not the full address)
- Start and end dates of your employment
- A bulleted list of what tasks you did on a daily basis
- Extra responsibilities you undertook
- Achievements or successes you had in the job
- Any awards you were given
Education and Qualifications
- Start with your most recent and/or highest level of qualification
- Put down the most relevant qualifications to the job.
- Include the qualification, the year you achieved it, and the name of the provider
Training
Include any relevant training such as:
- Short courses like Food Hygiene or Health and Safety
- Licences or certificates
- On-the-job training
- Home or online learning
- Evening classes
Volunteering and Work Experience
Voluntary work or unpaid work experience can add value to your CV. They show employers extra skills and experience you have gained.
Include:
- Name of the charity or employer
- Start and end dates
- A bulleted list of the tasks you did on a daily basis
Find out more on our Volunteering and Work Experience pages.
References
Put in the words: References are available on request.
You usually need to provide at least 2 references. Don't include referee details on your CV itself, just have them ready.
Ask the people you want to use as referees if they are happy to give you a reference.
Possible referees could include:
- Employer - past or present
- Teacher, tutor or lecturer
- Youth worker
- Charity where you have volunteered
- Someone you know that can give you a character reference (not a relative)
Additional Information
Use this section to add any other relevant information including:
- Sports you play or support
- Community activities you are involved with
- Interests and hobbies
- Achievements and awards
- Memberships of professional organisations
- Driving licence
Keep this section short and relevant to the job you are applying for.
