CV Guidance

A curriculum vitae is the best way for your future employers to get a brief idea of who you are. Here at GECC we will give you tips and advice on how to write an accurate CV that will get you noticed as well as show all the sets of skills you have acquired in the most efficient way. 

You might be wondering what is a cv?

CV is a document that is used when applying for jobs and it consists of a summary of your personal information, transferable skills, and qualifications that you have obtained to date.

Before you start to write your cv you need to remember that the idea is to successfully sell and present your skills to potential employers, you do not want to waste space on your cv with information your future employer does not need.

The most important aspect of a cv is that it should never be longer than two sides of A4, 

Of course, if you have a lot of experience and education you would like to include everything as you do not want to sell yourself short, however at GECC we advise those who have had a lot of work experience or high-level roles to accompany your cv with a cover letter, that way you can have your main skills and attributes in the cv and reinforce it with a cover letter. 

GECC has an ideal structure model to help you out when writing your cv. 

Who you are? 

You do not want to waste any space so avoid putting any headings or labelling the document. 

Instead, you want to start off by going straight to the point of ‘who you are’ this is a summery of your full name, contact number and your full address things like date of birth or a picture of yourself are not needed.

Personal profile 

The following section is known as a profile; and it consists of stating as well as putting emphasis on all of your work and personal attributes alongside your skill; so, the best way to write this section will be to write down a couple of things you have excelled in and write about how those particular skills can help you in the workplace. This section can be from 100-150 words not any longer as it should be quick and snappy to get the attention of the reader and set momentum for the rest of the cv.

 

Education 

In this section you want to start of with most recent qualifications you have acquired and then making your way down to the oldest remember you only need to include professional qualifications, the institution where you complete the course/ qualifications and the dates.



 

Work experience 

The work experience section in your cv is to give the future employee a summary of the places you have worked prior, include your job title as well as the organisations name and the duration of your employment with them. Always start with the most recent work experience. In this section also mention key responsibilities, to show your future employees the skills you currently have, and how they have helped you in your previous workplace, provide small examples if appropriate.

 

Skills and achievements 

This is the best time to bullet point all the skills you have not mention in the work experience section, this can be something like speaking another language, or any awards you might have earned in the past, trying to relate it all to the job/role you are applying for. 

 

Interests

You might be tempted to including things like hobbies, or what you like doing with the friends in this section but please avoid anything that does not sound relevant to the job you are applying for. And focus on thing you do outside of work that are transferable into your workplace.

 

References

You are not obligated to put down any references in this section. however, it is good to let your future employers know that if they do require you to provide any, they are available upon request.

When putting a reference down, or when choosing someone to be your reference remember to always inform them.