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PREPARING YOUR CV

HOW TO WRITE A SUCCESSFUL CV

There are four things a prospective employer wants to know when evaluating a candidate:

  • What sort of person you are
  • Educational qualifications
  • Job/Life experience
  • And how to contact you

Your CV should be a crisp, concise reflection of you at your best. Depending on your age and experience aim for 2 sheets of A4 - we suggest 3 as a maximum.

Leave a weekend free to devote to creating a really good CV. Do not leave it until the last moment or try to re-hash the old one.

If you create your own CV, get someone else to check your spelling and grammar. If you are unable to create a good, professional CV, get an experienced person to do it for you. It is worth paying for good presentation.

Here are a few pointers:

  • Start with the most recent job first.
  • Keep it factual
  • Avoid narrative forms and stick to the areas of responsibility
  • Show achievements separately for each position
  • Keep it positive, emphasise your strong points and skills: talk about what you can do, not what you can't!
  • Don't list too many outside interests and hobbies. It may appear that you don't have time for work!
  • Use bullet points to focus attention on positive achievements

 

 

 

 

  • Itemise DMS system experience for each position i.e. Kerridge Rev. 7.4, Kalamazoo Darts, etc.
  • Show spreadsheet skills i.e. Excel, Lotus 123 etc.
  • Show details of Franchises for each position and also Turnover, if you know it. This helps us to assess the size of business you are used to handling.
  • Show your date of birth. If your application is successful you will have to provide that information in the long run.
  • Qualifications. If you have not finished studying for a professional qualification, make it known. It is best to be honest.
  • Finally, don't hide jobs. Most employers make a job offer provisional upon your details checking out. A thorough check may highlight missed jobs and potential employers can take great exception to finding out that a job has not been declared. They tend to assume the wst!