CV WORKSHOP
The CV
Start with personal information
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Name & address
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Contact information –email, phone number
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Mobile number is enough- Ensure you have a voicemail set up
Firstly some Do’s and Don’ts
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Do tailor your CV to the job that you are applying for
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Do keep your CV to 2 pages - if you have had a lot of experience 2 and a half is acceptable
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Do a rough draft and always ask others to look over it , check for spelling and grammar mistakes
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Do keep the most important information on the first page – (e.g.) Education, Work Experience, Contact information
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Do use key words shown in the job advertisement
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Do fill in the gaps in your work history- traveling, etc.
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Do use a title heading and then display the information below it
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Do display skills and attributes to show that you will fit in with the company ethos
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Do not lie on your CV!
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Do not fill your CV up with unnecessary information. (e.g.) Height, Weight, Place of Birth
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Do not over complicate the layout, Keep it clear, simple and precise
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Do not get creative with the layout – keep it to black colour text, standard font size & font design (times new roman) display the information in an easy to see format- bullet points, paragraphs and headings. The content of the CV is more important than the layout this is not to say that the layout is not important.
Brief Profile Description
Written in the third person, what you have done in the past, what you want to do next, keep it simple and specific and use key words used in the advertisement, does it fit in with the company ethos? Remember you are competing with many other candidates.
Work Experience
From the newest to oldest, include the employer name, the company name & address, your position and the duties, dates of employment start to end date, include any achievements, company targets, team goals that you achieved, problems you solved. Again use key words from the advertisement.
Education
Junior cert/GCSE results –include them only if you have little work experience and no college degree, otherwise they are not needed.
The same somewhat applies to A Levels/Leaving Certificate results- include extended results and subjects if you have little experience.
Use a brief overview of your results if you have a college degree or a good work experience history. (e.g) Leaving Certificate 450 points.
Hobbies, Interests & other skills
This includes your interests and other skills you have attained. (Committee memberships, intern experiences, relevant volunteer work)
References
Name, number, position and address (you MUST ask this person can you place this information on your CV) you can state here that a reference is available on request.