When you are writing a CV it can be hard to know where to start. The Green Recruitment Companies ‘Back to School’ series looks at the top tips from our clients and consultants on how to best navigate a job market and put you in the best place to get that next dream position.

What to include in a CV:

Some of this may seem obvious but hitting the fundamentals in a clear concise way will put you in a good position to catch a company’s attention.

Personal Details

Ensure that you include your name, email and contact phone number at a minimum. These need to be clearly at the top of the document and the first thing the hiring manager will read.

Personal Statement

This should be a brief statement, no more than 3-4 lines long. Located under your contact details it should explain who you are, the skills you possess which make you a good fit for the role, your overall career aims/what you are looking for.

Employment history

This part should include all your relevant work experience up to the present day. Your most recent role should be first and should clearly state your job title, company, and length of employment with dates. Under this will be a short list of achievements and key responsibilities whilst being employed at each organisation.

Education

This section focuses on your educational experience. It will include your qualification, subject of study, grade, institution, and date.

Hobbies and Interests

This isn’t a necessary section to include however a small mention of your most relevant achievements outside of work can help differentiate you from other applicants. If there are no relevant achievements/hobbies that will add value to your application we would advise you not to put them in.

Layout and Length

It is important that a CV or resume isn’t too long so make sure your most relevant skills and employment are at the top to grab the readers attention. Our clients recommend a CV of no more than 2 pages. Your personal details should be in bold and in the centre at the top of the document with the personal statement being below.

Our Top Tips for Success

1. When talking about your responsibilities at a company it is recommended by our clients that you quantify the results. For example, “increased customer retention by 25%”. This will help show the value you added and the specific margin that you increased or improved the area by.
2. Make it key word friendly. Read through the job description and include skills or keywords associated to the role in your resume. Of course, don’t copy the description onto your resume but adding in a few words to grab the readers attention is important.
3. Make it clear, concise, and easy to read. Short to the point sentences work well so looking through the thesaurus for a new jazzy word may not always be needed.
4. Before you send off the application get someone else to read over it and give you any feedback on the document.