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Careers

CVs

A CV, or 'Curriculum Vitae', is a simple way of presenting similar information to that on an application form but by using a plain sheet of paper.

A record of personal, educational and work details, your CV is a personal marketing tool, which should be presented in a way that will show your skills, qualities and experience to best advantage.

Unlike an application form where you are restricted to giving information in a format controlled by the employer, a CV gives you the freedom to create your own personal record, presenting and highlighting your key strengths in a format that you control.

When should you use one?

• When the vacancy specifically asks for one
  
  
• In reply to any job advertisement which simply asks for "applications in writing ..."
  
  
• When making speculative applications (approaching prospective employers without having seen a specific vacancy)

Format

A CV can take many different formats, depending on the type of employer you are approaching. Basic formats include:

• Conventional
  
  
• Skills-based
  
  
• Academic
  
  
• Electronic
  
  
• European
  
  
• Visual/Creative

Although the content of these will be similar, the structure and format of each will vary.

The first three types of CV are probably most commonly used but, in an increasingly diverse job market, you need to decide which is the most appropriate for the job or industry in question.

Guidelines

a) Know what message you want to convey.

It is easy to see a CV as a simple, biographical account of your life where you just list your education, work experience and activities, but this does not tell the reader a lot about you and your suitability for a post.

You must decide which parts of your life are going to be most interesting to the person who receives your CV.

These will include not only what you have done relevant work experience and course work, but also the skills you have acquired from other seemingly less relevant parts of your life.

b) Allocate space in accordance with the importance of the information.

You must decide the relative importance of the facts of your life and give the most important ones more space.

If a piece of work experience is critically relevant to your applications, give it more space than other, less important jobs.

c) Develop a format that meets your needs.

You can follow the traditional format covering personal details, education, work experience, activities and interests and then referees.

If you want to vary the order of sections, give them different titles, experiment with layout and different styles of CV then, as long as you are doing it for a purpose, there is really no problem.

d) Do a first draft.

Leave it a few days, and then go back over it until you are happy.

e) Make it look good.

It is essential to have the CV typed in black on plain (preferably white) A4 paper.

Take time to lay it out carefully.

Avoid large paragraphs of unbroken text: break it up with line spaces or bullet points.

Choose a font style that is neat and not too small in size.

Highlight section headings or important text with emboldening or larger point sizes.

f) Aim to cover two one-sided sheets of A4.

g) Layout and spacing are important.

Don't squash the information let it be seen; space makes it easy to read.

h) Avoid gaps.

Employers will spot unexplained time gaps and are likely to wonder what you are trying to hide.

i) Never send a CV without a covering letter.

Your covering letter is designed to introduce your application and persuade the employer to read your CV.

It should draw attention to the main factors that make you suitable for the job.

j) Remember that the CV is intended to give a brief, but full, account of your life to date in terms of education, work experience and general interests - but, most of all, in terms of what an employer is likely to be looking for.

Thus it may well be necessary to have different versions if you are applying to say, a Merchant Bank and a Social Work Department.

 

FORMATS

1) Traditional CV

This is probably the most widely used and straightforward style, and the one most commonly acceptable to employers.

If you are a mature student you will probably have more material to draw upon than someone in their early 20s - otherwise the principals are the same, whether you are 21 or 41.

This will be an opportunity for you to demonstrate a key skill required for many graduate level jobs the ability to prioritise.

Most CV's contain:

• Name
  
  
• Address (term and home address if appropriate)
  
  
• Telephone number
  
  
• Age or date of birth
  
  
• Marital status, children (number and ages)
  
  
• Nationality
  
  
• Education
  
  
• Previous employment/work experience
  
  
• Interests (hobbies, sports, voluntary posts etc)
  
  
• Additional skills (e.g. Driving licence, computing, languages)

Education

Ensure that you give accurately the dates of attendance at school and University, and also of examinations.

Show grades at GCSE. GCSEs need to be listed in some form of order. Grade order looks most effective, but maintain chronology (1998...2000). The same applies to 'A' levels.

Provide as much information as possible on degree subject subjects vary in content from University to University. Always add anticipated class of final degree. Exam results to date can help here.

Additional skills/Other qualifications

This section can be used to include all those interesting extras you have done and gained medals, language efficiency, keyboard skills, driving licence, coaching awards, Duke of Edinburgh's Award, etc.

Previous employment/Work experience

Make sure you list all the jobs you have done, both part-time and full-time, at home and abroad, with dates. Indicate what the jobs involved, any positions of responsibility, and the skills you developed as a result.

Interests

Communication skills are important in most careers and this section provides the opportunity to elaborate.

Detail your interests in sentence form, outlining any positions of responsibility, any organising activity.

This section probably says most about you to a prospective employer.

Referees

Referees usually include one academic and one other.

The academic referee will be asked about your intellectual performance whilst at University - so your tutor, supervisor or head of department would be a good choice.

The second referee is usually a character reference, so could be a holiday job employer or family friend.

If neither of these is applicable, a second academic could be used as a referee, someone who knows you quite well, e.g. dissertation supervisor.

Always ask permission before quoting a referee's name.

2) Skills-Based CV

The Skills-Based CV allows you to demonstrate a closer match between your experience and an employer's requirements.

The 'personal profile' is optional and can be used to emphasise key qualities appropriate for a particular job. If you choose to use the personal profile, evidence of how and where you developed the skills and qualities mentioned must be provided elsewhere in your CV.

In this CV, Interests and Referees would follow the format shown in the Traditional CV.

This type of CV, if put together properly, can be an extremely effective way of getting your message across. It is useful for showing an employer that you really understand the job and the skills necessary to do it well.

Whatever skills you decide to expand upon, don't forget to give evidence of the origin of your skills and the nature of your experience.

3) Others

Further details on the other types of CV mentioned can be found in the AGCAS booklet "Making Applications" typically available from your University Careers Service.

COVERING LETTERS

When applying for vacancies off-campus or speculatively, the covering letter forms an integral part of the 'package' which you present to an employer. The covering letter is, in fact, as important as the CV/application form.

In it, you seek to persuade the employer that you are a good candidate for the job you are applying for, by providing an overview and overall interpretation of the facts presented in your CV/application form, with the aim of proving that you will be a great 'fit' for the job in question.

In response to a vacancy advertisement, it is usual to enclose a short covering letter mentioning the job title (including any reference number), when and where you saw the vacancy, and highlighting those aspects of your experience and/or qualifications which best match the job requirements.

For milkround applications it is not usually necessary to enclose a letter.

With speculative applications you should clearly state what sort of opening you are looking for. Being, for example, "interested in television" will not do! Are you trying to get in as a researcher, video editor, production assistant..?

If you are applying speculatively for say, Retail Management, designing a CV in the absence of a brochure or application form and milkround visit, your CV could draw on the typical shopping lists of other retailers, in the same sector that you have been able to research.

You will need to emphasise strongly any advantages you think you have in terms of experience, qualifications, even personality. It will often help if you can relate what you have to offer with the information you have researched on the job and the organisation. Being well informed demonstrates your motivation and enthusiasm.

Your research may have helped you to identify the most relevant person to address your letter to (it may be the Personnel Manager or a department head).

It is usually much better to write to a named person and it is worth a phone call to find out the key individual.

Letters accompanying speculative applications should make it absolutely clear what you are hoping to achieve, e.g. information on whether a vacancy is likely, a request for your CV to be put on file to be matched against future vacancies - or even, for some very popular jobs, you may want to offer yourself in a menial or even unpaid position in order to make contacts and gain experience.

The covering letter can also be used to outline any special circumstances that are not covered by a form or CV. For example, if you have a disability you could explain its nature, but you should also emphasise what you can do and what aids are available. If you are from overseas you could explain whether you have a work permit, or whether you are looking for a training vacancy.

It is probably better to mention any special circumstances in the covering letter, for example the need for a work permit, or a physical handicap. You will then have space to outline the problem and to mention any mitigating factors such as special qualifications or available aids. Alternatively you may choose to wait until the interview stage to discuss potential difficulties.

Remember:

• Everyone has their own ideas, and there are no absolutely right or wrong approaches.
  
  
• What might attract one employer could meet outright rejection from another.
  
  
• It is a creative exercise and requires careful consideration on your part.

Practical Hints

1. Your letter should be type-written on good quality, preferably white, paper.

2. The layout of such letters is quite simple:

Top right-hand corner: Your address, telephone number and the date

A little lower, but on the left hand side: The name and position of the recruiter (remember a phone call to the organisation will often give you the name and title of the person you should write to), the department (where relevant) and the company, e.g.

Mr A.N. Body, (or A.N. Body, Esq..)
Graduate Recruitment Manager
Personnel Department
Brittle Plastics Ltd.
BATTLE
East Sussex
HO1 1LO

Where you begin, 'Dear Mr. Body', end 'Yours sincerely'; where you begin 'Dear Sir/Madam', end 'Yours faithfully'.

It is always helpful to print your surname, initials and 'title' below your signature.

3. Remember to keep copies of all the letters, CVs and application forms you send - and file them.

CONCLUSION

Filling in application forms, writing letters - it all takes time. However, it will be time well spent. Your impact will be enhanced by care, attention to detail, persistence and patience.

So many employers are now adopting as a first stage in their selection procedures the 'sift' through application forms.

The preparation of a good application is vital if you hope to impress an employer sufficiently well to stand the chance of being offered an interview.

Throughout, the basic question to be asking yourself is 'Does this statement truly reflect what I am like and provide the evidence that I have what the employer is looking for?'

KEY ACTION WORDS FOR CV'S, APPLICATION FORMS AND COVERING LETTERS

Action words convey participation, involvement and accomplishment - they produce a strong impact on the reader.

Use action words to make your CV's and application forms more readable and distinctive. Examples:

This content is © The University of Hull. Edited and reproduced with kind permission from John Franks - Head of Hull University Careers Service. All Rights Reserved.