Writing your CV
A CV (latin for curriculum vitae) is a list of all your experience that is relevant to the job you’re applying for.
You’ll want to include all your current and previous roles, as well as any voluntary work and additional qualifications. Everything that shows you have the right skills for the job.
Always read the job description and skills required in the job advert and include your experience that matches it. For example, you might have people manager experience, health and safety qualifications or worked in a similar industry.
How to write your CV
CVs generally have a standard, plain style:
- Use a clear font like Arial, or Calibri in size 11 (ideally) or bigger.
- Use the same font and style throughout.
- Write your headings in bold and use bullet points for lists.
- Be clear and to the point.
- Get someone else to read it to double check your spelling and grammar.
Download an editable CV example
What your CV should contain
When writing your CV include the following sections:
We need to know how to contact you if we want to offer you an interview.
You should include your name, phone number, email address - make sure these are clearly presented at the top of your CV.
You should not include your age, photo, date of birth, National Insurance Number, whether you're married or your nationality.
This is the first part of your CV that a recruiter will look at, so make sure it's a powerful statement of why you are the right person for the job. What really needs to stand out here is: What can you bring to the role? Why should the recruiter or hiring manager read on?
You can also use this section to summarise relevant and notable achievements you've had throughout your career. Give the reader numbers and hard facts. Aim to prove why you're suitable in one short and succinct paragraph (150-200 words), tailored to the role you are applying for.
This section should include all of your relevant work experience, listed in reverse chronological order (starting with the most recent first). Include:
- Your job title
- The name of the organisation
- Time in post
- Your key responsibilities and achievements.
Provide the most information about your current or most recent roles and give less information the further you go back in your career history. If a previous job was completely irrelevant to the role you are applying for, but you want to avoid any gaps on your CV, simply list your job title, dates and the company you worked for.
We want to see the value you brought to each role, not just a job description. Rather than just listing what you were responsible for, show the difference you made: Have you increased efficiencies? Decreased downtime? Use action verbs as much as possible, instead of just describing your duties (for example, “Led weekly status meetings” and not “Held weekly status meetings”) and quantify your impact to show the results your actions achieved, awards you've received and goals you've met.
Always include your most impressive achievements first. Prioritise achievements that are relevant to the job you're applying for. If you want to get noticed for a particular skill, then it's a good idea to think about what type of skills are required for that job and then focus on those.
You should order your qualifications starting with the highest level certification you obtained. For each qualification you should include the following:
- Name of your qualifications
- The awarding institution
- Date you completed your qualification
- Any noteworthy grades (distinction, merit)
E.g. GCSEs | 2008 | Grange Hill School, London / Health and Safety training | 2024 | RoSPA
Place the Education section strategically. If you're applying for a role in engineering and have an engineering qualification as well as some part-time work experience at a supermarket, you should put your education first, because your qualifications and the units you studied are more relevant to the role than your supermarket job.
Adding relevant classes and courses can also show that you have the technical knowledge for the job and can make your application stand out.
Cover letters
Cover letters are a summary of your experience, why you have applied for the job and why your experience matches the role. While these are not always required, they can help your application stand out over others.
