HOW TO WRITE A GREAT CV

TIPS FOR WRITING A BETTER CV (Curricum Vitae)

1. Keep it short. Your CV should be no more than two pages
2. Tailor your CV to the company or organisation you are writing to and include information that is relevant to the company or organisation
3. Don’t leave any gaps in your work history.
4. Keep it up-to-date.
5. Be concise. Your CV does not need to have a lot of very detailed information. This kind of information should be kept back for your interview.
6. Make your CV look good. Use bullet points and spread your work out. Two pages of very dense text are not attractive to a reader.
7. Check spellings and grammar before you send in your CV.
8. Tell the truth. Be honest.

LANGUAGE EXERCISES

READ THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE ABOUT WRITING A GOOD CV THEN PUT THE MISSING SUB-HEADINGS IN THE CORRECT PLACE

Subheadings:  Be accurate    Give the full story    Be honest    Be concise    Send a covering letter

1. Introduction

A good curriculum vitae (CV) with information about you and your qualifications and experience will boost your chances of getting an interview for a job. A poor CV could ruin everything before you even start. On average, a recruiter will spend just 15 to 20 seconds reviewing a CV, so it’s important to get it right.

    2.……………………………..

Remember your CV is only a way of getting your foot in the door, so keep it short. Most successful CVs include the following sections: Profile (a short description of your skill-set), Experience, Achievements, Special Skills (languages/computers etc.), Education, Training, and Interests. Write no more than two pages and save the detail for your interview.

    3. Make it look good

Make sure the key points of your CV are clear. Use bullet points and relatively short sentences for the key information. Leaving a border of white space around the text also makes the information stand out and makes the CV easier to read.

   4. ……………………………

Give information  about your work history in date order. Start with the most recent job first and don’t leave any gaps. If you have been out of work for a long time, give reasons and don’t go into detail about jobs you did more than 10 years ago.

   5. Include relevant facts, not lists

List your duties, responsibilities and achievements under each job. Use a separate section in your CV for specific skills, such as language, administrative or computing skills. There’s no need to include them for every job you’ve done. This makes dull reading for the recruiter.

   6. ………………………

Although you want to present yourself well, don’t bend the truth. You are likely to be caught out and your application rejected. Many companies employ people to check the facts that candidates supply, including qualifications.

    7.…………………………

Always check for errors. Use the spell-checker on your computer to deal with basic errors of spelling and grammar, but also get someone else to read your CV and tell you what they think.

    8. Adapt it

Take the time to adapt your CV for each job you apply for. Research the company and use the job advert to assess what they are looking for. Link your skills and experience to the requirements of each job. 

    9. ………………………..

Use this to highlight information from your CV that is most relevant to the job you are applying for. It isn’t good practice to send your CV to an employer without this.

ARE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE?

1. People in recruitment don’t spend long reading each CV
2. An employer never reads a CV that is longer than two pages.
3. You should put information about your oldest job first.
4. It’s essential to give information about every job you have done.
5. You shouldn’t send CVs with the same content to a range of employers.
6. An employer won’t read a CV without a covering letter.

REPLACE THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES WITH PHRASES IN INTALICS IN THE ARTICLE

1. Sending your CV to a recruitment website can give you more opportunities of getting a job.
2. A website with clear headings makes the key information easy to see.
3. If you go into a lot of detail about every job you’ve ever done, it is boring for the reader.
4. I don’t have a problem with interviews. The hard part is gaining a first introduction to the company.
5. You want to make a good impression but it is wrong to not be completely honest on your CV. If they catch you out, you won’t even get an interview.

ANSWERS

2. BE CONCISE

4. GIVE THE FULL STORY

6. BE HONEST

7.BE ACCURATE

9. SEND A COVERING LETTER

ARE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE?

People in recruitment don’t spend long reading each CV - TRUE

An employer never reads a CV that is longer than two pages - FALSE

You should put information about your oldest job first - FALSE

It’s essential to give information about every job you have done - FALSE

You shouldn’t send CVs with the same content to a range of employers - TRUE

An employer won’t read a CV without a covering letter - FALSE

REPLACE THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES WITH PHRASES IN INTALICS IN THE ARTICLE

• Sending your CV to a recruitment website can give you more opportunities of getting a job. (boost your chances)
• A website with clear headings makes the key information easy to see. (stand out)
• If you go into a lot of detail about every job you’ve ever done, it is boring for the reader. (dull reading)
• I don’t have a problem with interviews. The hard part is gaining a first introduction to the company. (getting your foot in the door.)
• You want to make a good impression but it is wrong to not be completely honest on your CV. If they catch you out, you won’t even get an interview. (bend the truth)