CV Template Builder
Writing a CV
The aim of writing a CV is to provide a snapshot of your experience to a future employer; that is, to present enough appropriate information for them to take your application to the next level. You must demonstrate your range of expertise. Assembling a CV before you begin applying for roles will help focus your mind on the task ahead and is a good way of recalling the work you have done or achievements accomplished. There are no set rules for writing a CV; however the following will provide you with a guide and all the important areas to cover.
Personal Details
Contact details must be included in your CV. They should include:
- Your full name
- Your residential and postal address
- Your contact phone (including international codes)
- Your email address
Career objective
Including a career objective is optional and can be useful if you know exactly what type of position you want.
If you make your objective too specific it may limit your opportunities; however on the other hand, if you make it too general, you may give the impression of not knowing what it is you want to do.
A career objective is a quick summary and provides the important first impression. Ideally, it should be short statements outlining such ideas as your career goals, what industry you want to be in and so on. If you choose to exclude the personal statement you should indicate your reasons for applying for the position in the cover letter.
Education
The basic structure of a CV should include educational achievements.
This includes:
- Your Secondary Education certificate and Degree/Tertiary qualifications in reverse chronological order, with institutions attended and relevant dates of any qualifications achieved.
- Any current study being undertaken should also be listed - as well as courses undertaken but not completed.
Work History
Your CV should list work experience in reverse chronological order; that is most recent first employment first and so on. Each job detail should include this basic information:
- Title of position
- Name of organisation
- Brief summary of what the organisation is/does
- Dates you held the position
- Responsibilities
The aim of the work experience section is to show breadth and depth. Use bullet points to avoid creating large blocks of text which can be difficult to read. When writing a CV, look at it from your employer's point of view. Would you stand out against the other candidates? Are you describing your role and experiences appropriately to the company's key set of criteria? It is important you ask yourself these questions when writing your CV.
When writing about your previous positions, include actions you initiated or were involved in that made a task simpler, solved a problem or achieved something for the company. This could be saving the company money, winning a client or raising brand awareness.
Awards and achievements
A CV should include a list of your achievements - this is an important selling point and useful for examples during the interview.
Interests and extra-curricular activities
It is important to include interests in your CV. The purpose of a CV is to provide talking points for conversation and professional services firms, in general, like to employ rounded individuals with interests outside work.
Referees
When being considered for a position, employers will want to contact your referees. It is very important for you to inform your referees of this. When providing referees, you should include the following:
- Name
- Job title and name of organisation
- Telephone number
It is essential you include referees who have worked with you, know your responsibilities whilst in that role and your skill levels. If for some reason you want this information to remain confidential until further down the recruitment process, the following should be stated: "Referees will be supplied upon request".
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