how to write great cvs

8/13/2019 How to Write Great Cvs

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www.mmu.ac.uk/careers

Careers & Employability Service

Alison Proudlove

Careers & Employability Adviser

Sept 2010 1

Writing great CVs and

Covering Letters

http://www.mmu.ac.uk/careers/






How long does the average recruiter spend

analysing your CV?


http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://bloggingwoolf.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/magnifying-glass.jpg&imgrefurl=http://bloggingwoolf.wordpress.com/2008/12/29/help-track-virginia-woolf-in-contemporary-fiction/&usg=__FJNrp4K5zyCy1lE36YL6eSNC7ak=&h=377&w=500&sz=65&hl=en&start=4&tbnid=cSoDvnW-6SnvAM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images?q=magnifying+glass&gbv=2&hl=en







So, how can you make yours stand out

from the crowd?








What does the workshop cover?

• When would you use a CV

• Speculative applications

• General CV tips

• Tailoring your CV

• Evidencing your skills

• Writing personal profiles

• Language is important

• Covering letters

• Practical exercise








CVs – when would you use one?

• When an advert asks you to submit your CV

• When you are instructed to attach a CV to an application form

• When you are applying speculatively

• When registering with agencies

• At Careers fairs

• Uploading onto a job site – see our handout for information about

doing this safely

• As a record for yourself of your achievements/experience to-date








A good CV can help you make a

successful speculative application

Vital strategy in the current economic climate

• Research employers

• Make a list to record your progress• Write a strong, tailored CV and letter

• Have your CV checked by a Careers Adviser

• Ring/email to get a named contact

• Chase up application after 2 weeks








General CV tips

• Know your message

• Generally 2 sides

• Allocate space effectively

• Avoid gaps in dates – consider how to tackle tricky

topics• Provide evidence for skills

• Tailor it to the role applying for

• Make it look good and easy to read quickly

• Make it personal

• Template or not template?!

• You’ll receive conflicting advice








Writing your CV – use a style and

layout that best suits your information

Which format - chronological/skills-based/academic? Some examples:-

• http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/applications-and-cvs/different-cvs-for-

different-types-of-graduate-job

Suggested headings: –

• Personal Details

• Profile?

• Higher Education & Qualifications

• Secondary & Further Education

• Related Work Experience - placements/ permanent/temporary/community andvoluntary work

• Positions of Responsibility/Achievements

• Interests

• Skills (to include driving, languages and computing)

• Referees


http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/applications-and-cvs/different-cvs-for-different-types-of-graduate-job





























Top 5 CV turn-offs….

• 77% Poor spelling and grammar in the application

• 34% Obvious exaggerations

• 31% Poorly presented application

• 19% No relevant work experience• 19% Non-targeted CV/covering letter

“You have to be harsh, otherwise you

would be interviewing everyone” High Street Bank recruiter.


http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://images.all-free-download.com/images/graphicmedium/x_wrong_no_cross_clip_art_26503.jpg&imgrefurl=http://all-free-download.com/free-vector/x-wrong-cross-no.html&usg=__pR1oAOwqf-ShIDevnPfTuEbPAVc=&h=200&w=200&sz=12&hl=en&start=16&zoom=1&itbs=1&tbnid=r3gSWLNUyWbGEM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=104&prev=/search?q=wrong+cross&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1259&bih=756&tbm=isch&ei=wV7BTanmFMql8QPg5-3dBQ







Don’t just rely on spellcheck ….

Proofread, proofread, and proofread again!!

“I am a rabid typist”

“Thanks for your consideration, hoping to hear from

your shor ty ” “Instrumental in ru in ing the operations of a Northwest

chain-store”








Think about what the employer is

looking for – tailoring is essential

• Your CV must offer the employer evidence that you

are the sort of person they want

• You must find out what sort of person they want –

from the job ad, from the company website, from an

Occupational Profile on Prospects Web

• You need to change your CV for different jobs

• Now analyse the skills and experience thisadvertisement requires…….


http://www.prospects.ac.uk/links/occupations

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/links/occupations







Employer Liaison Officer -

Placements

• You will be the lead contact for our student and graduatebusiness partnerships, ensuring they are run effectively andefficiently and in line with relevant legislation. You will beresponsible for marketing the scheme to employers, studentsand graduates, managing, and where applicable delivering,

the training associated with the schemes, as well asoverseeing all the financial aspects.

• The post holder must be a self starter with excellentcommunications skills, who can work effectively with a widerange of internal and external stakeholders, developingpositive relationships.

• You should be educated to degree level and have experiencein any of the following areas: Placement activities, EmployerLiaison in Higher Education, Sales and Marketing, Training.








Which general skills could you be emphasising

on your CV?

• Communication

• Teamwork

• Leadership

• Initiative• Problem-solving

• Flexibility/adaptability

• Self-awareness

• Commitment/motivation

• Interpersonal skills

• Numeracy








STAR – Evidence your skills

• S – situation: i.e. project or activity. Set the scene for theemployer

• T – target/task: what did you set out to achieve?

• A – action: what did you have to do to achieve thetarget, what was your contribution to the team?

• R – result: what was the outcome? Good or bad, an

employer will want to know what you learnt from theactivity








Skills examples

• Team work

• “Planning and coordination role taken in university

group assignments - achieved an overall average

70+% grade”

Or

- “Experience of working in a team”








Personal Profile

“Pro-active marketing graduate with over three years'experience organising and publicising successfulcampus events; participated in well-received group project creating a complete marketing campaign and

presenting to peers and professionals; invaluableexperience gained via summer work with Virgin Airlines. Seeks a challenging and creative position ina marketing environment .”

- Example from Prospects website








Personal Profile

“Having recently graduated from University, I wish to pursue acareer in marketing and eager to gain experience in this field. I

previously worked in an administrative role gaining essentialexperience of working in an office environment. I am a team

player and also have the competency to work individually. I amkeen to secure an opportunity which would help me progress in

the world of marketing and reach my goals.”

- Example from recent MMU student

Make it short, well written, personal, and avoid clichés








Use professional language and back

up every claim you make

• More than….years’ extensive and diverseexperience in….

• Extensive academic background in….

• Knowledge of/proficient in……..

• Proven track record in….• Now involved in co-ordinating……

• - See our handout for “positive, professionallanguage”

Evidence shows that employers respond to “trigger”words








Make your CV achievement orientated

and consider all areas of your life…

• Was promoted in my part-time job

• Introduced new system at work

• Treasurer of a Society

• Trained up new member of staff

• Organised a fund-raising event for charity

• Learned another language








Make the most of all your work

experience/placements

• Placements

• Employer/commercial experience

• Part-time jobs

• Relevant volunteering

Recent survey by University of Hertfordshire – 46% of

employers rated relevant work experience as the mostimportant factor in a graduate application








The Cover Letter

• Can be almost as important as the CV

• Avoid flowery language – stick to fact

• Appropriate length – no more than one side of A4

• Brief introduction

• Why that role?• Evidence of your suitability for the job

• Why that employer?

• Positive conclusion

• See suggested outline in our handout and below

• http://www.prospects.ac.uk/assets/assets/documents/covering _letter_standard.pdf • http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/job-hunting-tools-downloads


http://www.prospects.ac.uk/assets/assets/documents/covering_letter_standard.pdf


http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/job-hunting-tools-downloads


















Quick CV Exercise

• Version 1

• What do you think of the overall look/layout?

• Is the “Education” section well set out?

• What comments do you have about the “Work Experience”section?

• Version 2

• What is your overall impression of the look of the second CV?

• What do you think is the purpose of the “Personal Profile”

section?• What difference does the “Skills” section make to the CV?








So remember……

Your CV is a working document

Your CV must be targeted

Your CV must be well written, error-free and easy to

read

GOOD LUCK!








Further CV help

• Call in to careers for a quick query appointment

• Use our e-guidance service

• There is a wealth of information on the Web to help you construct aneffective CV. Some of the main resources include:

• www.prospects.ac.uk/links/examplecvs

Examples of chronological, skills-based CVs etc.

• http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/job-hunting-tools-downloads

• www.mmu.ac.uk/careersClick on “Career guides”


http://www.prospects.ac.uk/links/examplecvs


http://www.mmu.ac.uk/careers













http://www.prospects.ac.uk/links/examplecvs






www.mmu.ac.uk/careers/graduates

Thank you for listening

Careers & Employability Service

Pick up your copy of

Just Graduated?

and visit our website

for details of how we

can help you kick start

your career.

http://www.mmu.ac.uk/careers/graduates



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