Writing a CV

A CV is a big first step to getting a job. It doesn’t just show employers what you’ve done, it shows them what you can do.  Think of it as an introduction to one of the most amazing and employable people in the world… you.

A CV tells employers what you’re good at, what you are interested in and what you’ve achieved in life so far.  You hand it out when you are looking for jobs.  You can often upload your CV if you are applying for a job online.  If an employer likes your CV they might ask you to come to a job interview.

Your CV is your chance to show employers you’re a good match for the job and can back up any claims you make.  If you say in your cover letter that your cooking could put the Great British Bake-Off to shame, your CV can back you up by showing how you raised hundreds of pounds in a school charity bake sale.

• Full name

• Contact Details: address, telephone and email 

• Personal Statement: a CV personal statement is a bite-sized sentence or two summing up who you are as a professional, and what you want to offer employers in terms of your ambition and experience.

Example: "I am a student at Baysgarth School.  I am an enthusiastic, hardworking individual who enjoys a challenge.  I am always willing to try new things and I always work as hard as I can with every opportunity.  Working as part of a team, or individually is something I thrive in, and I am not shy on taking on leadership roles.  I also enjoy meeting new people and pushing myself out of my comfort zone".

Education: where you’ve studied, for how long, and what grades you got.  If you haven’t got any results yet, you can put what grades you're predicted.

Key skills: if you’ve got little or no work experience, you can still use a CV to talk about your skills and strengths.

The five top life and work skills are:

• Critical thinking and problem solving

• Teamwork and collaboration

• Professionalism and strong work ethic

• Oral and written communications skills

• Leadership

Others may be more relevant for Leadership roles:

• Motivated

• Quick learner

• Creative

• Confident

• Organised

• Intuitive

• Inspiring

• Resilient

• Respectful

• Responsible

• Transparent

• Driven

You are building these important work skills all the time, even when you are still at school. You just need to learn how to develop them and show employers you’ve got them. You can talk about these work skills in your CV.

Work experience: you may have never had a job before, but you probably have more experience than you think. Examples of work experience include:

• work shadowing

• work placements

• volunteering

• charity work

• Saturday jobs

• summer jobs

• Age

• Date of birth

• Gender (your business, no-one else’s)

• Religion (your business, no-one else’s)

• Relationship status (single, married or “it’s complicated” - never put it on your CV)

• Nationality (all these things are way too personal and employers will only ask if they absolutely need to know)

• Obscure colours, designs and fonts (keep it simple)

• A non-professional email address (Weird or joke emails like ihatedonuts@gmail.com give employers the wrong impression. It’s quick and free to get a new professional email address like FirstnameLastname@gmail.com if you need one)

• Lies (never lie on your CV. You can emphasise your good points, but never lie – you will just get caught out.

• References (if employers want references from people, they’ll ask you.  Save that CV space for your skills, experience and achievements)