CV Building Tips To Help You Take Steps Towards Your Dream Job

Well done!

You’re succeeding as a student and are in the prime years of your youth.

This either means you might be looking to find a part time job during your studies or you are wanting to roll out the big guns and impress for a post-university job, possibly the start to your career.

Either way, these following tips will guide you to writing your very first curriculum vitae or at least give you some ideas on improving what you already have whether you want to work in medicine, law, construction, real estate, digital marketing or anything else these CV tips can help recruiters move your CV into the ‘interview‘ pile.

Beyond the following points, you should always make sure that your CV looks professional; make sure you are using the same font, the same size writing and the same spacing.

You are wanting to reflect the best of yourself and we don’t want this to look sloppy now do we?

1) Personal details

We’ll start easy. There is information that every employer needs to see and this includes the basics.

You can’t really go wrong here.

You might want to link your profiles on twitter or LinkedIn if you use them in a professional manner, otherwise just leave it.

No employer wants to see the various memes you are posting left right and centre.

Remember to create a professional sounding email if you don’t already have one.

No favourite pet names, no slang words, no ‘xoxoxs’.

Trust me, a ridiculous email address may have been funny when you created it 5 years ago but your potential employer wants to know that you can be professional.

You will have the opportunity to express yourself better once you have bagged a job and are able to get to know your new colleagues.

2) Personal Profile

State your current situation;

• Are you a student?
• In what year?
• Studying what?
• What skills have you developed during this time?
• What skills have you learnt from outside of your degree?
• Do you have a part time job?
• Do you volunteer?
• Do you run a society?

Provide examples of any skills you have highlighted.

Explain why you are applying for this job and why you would be good at it.

If you’re not naturally comfortable with blowing your own trumpet then a trick I quite like is thinking of what my mother would say about me.

I don’t know about you but my mother can be a pain around most aspects of my life.

However, I’ll admit that she’s one of the people who knows me best and what I’m capable of.

This is why there’s no harm in giving yours a call and seeing what she has to say about your skills and abilities.

3) Work Experience

You want to start with the most recent job you’ve had and work your way backwards.

Underneath the company name and job title, add in a small description detailing your role and responsibilities.

Another idea might be mentioning something you know that you particularly excelled at or implemented in the job.

You want to show not only what job roles you have experienced, but also how you maximised their potential.

You must distinguish why these experiences are important for your next dream role.

You could even go as far as including any work that you are particularly proud of or have received great feedback on.

I would recommend leaving out any roles that aren’t relevant to what you are applying for as you don’t want your CV to cover more than two A4 sides.

Then it simply becomes a bore for the reader, no matter how much work you’ve put into the application.

4) Education

We’ve all been there and we’ve all bought the t-shirt.

Come on, no one spends 14+ years in school without having something to show for it.

Even if exams weren’t necessarily your forté, those cold rugby training sessions, tiring head girl campaigns or late night choir practices all highlight something special about you.

This is exactly what you employer wants to know.

Why you?

What makes you a better candidate than everyone else?

I’m afraid that when writing a CV, it’s go big or go home.

You have to back yourself all the way and be your own number one fan.

5) Additional skills and Interests

Here you should state any languages that you speak and to what ability.

Also you can write about what computer programs you can use and to what extent.

Mention any extra qualifications you have obtained, e.g. first aid certificate, food safety certificate etc.

Now is time to show off a little bit of you.

Don’t forget to pop in information about your hobbies and any other relevant information that reflects well on who you are.

Now would also be your opportunity to mention any voluntary work you have been involved in. Here’s your chance to really get your CV noticed.

That concludes this basic guide to CV writing.

Our fingers and toes are all crossed for you in your job hunt.

At HFS we are here for you every step of the way.