CV TASK (Josie cawdry)

Thought this might help with regards to the cv writing task, due in Tuesday 8th may.

http://www.cvcl.co.uk/writing-perfect-cv.htm

Your CV should not only summarise your qualifications, skills and experience but should also reflect key aspects of your personality that will help you to stand out from all other applicants. As well as utilising a profile at the top of the CV to highlight your particular skills, it is important to inject some of your personal qualities and strengths throughout the CV so that your individuality is really emphasised. Any specific achievements from your work, academic or personal life should be highlighted as these too reflect your personality and can demonstrate to any potential employers your proven ability to add value to a role.

How you present the CV is of vital importance and the top tips here are to:

• Type your CV rather than handwrite it
• Use good quality paper that is not flimsy but not too thick either
• Be creative with your presentation and choice of font
• Keep it to a maximum of two or three pages
• Put the most important information on the first page

You can demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of your chosen profession by using relevant terminology and 'buzzwords', although this should not be overdone. It is much more important to be specific about your achievements and experiences. Also, you should aim to include information on additional skills such as your ability to speak other languages or your proficiency in the use of computers.

Common cv writing mistakes

Some of the mistakes that people make when writing a CV are very obvious and others are much more subtle. Here is a list of some of the more common mistakes seen in CVs:

• Too long and too “wordy” - summarise your information as much as possible to ensure that it is both clear and concise
• Disorganised layout – by following the guidelines above as to how to present the CV, you can make sure that the information is presented logically in the CV
• Spelling and grammatical errors – it is essential to run a spell check through the finished CV and to read through it to ensure that it makes sense
• Including photographs or other decorative embellishments – this should be avoided as they distract attention from the important information contained in the CV
• Use of first person – too much use of “I” or “Me” in the CV can appear arrogant and is also too informal
• Irrelevant information – it is not advisable to include anything that does not add value or could appear negative such as reasons for leaving jobs
• Too much use of jargon – some technical terms are acceptable but it is important to explain these if there is the possibility of them being read by someone not familiar with them