tips for writing a resume

Before you start

Think about the impression you want your CV to make on a prospective employer. You want to optimise your experience without exaggerating it. How do you do this? Take some time to think about the following:

Your core strengths and experience. (This doesn’t have to be just in the work place).

The job you are applying for and the skills the employer is likely to be looking for.

Your past jobs, main responsibilities, skills you have developed and what you have achieved.

The layout

Keep it short – two pages are ideal, use bullet points wherever possible.

Make sure it is well presented, typed in Word format.

Read it to make sure there are no spelling or typing errors – do not rely on spell checkers as they mostly use US spelling and they do not always check for grammatical errors.

Be consistent – with heading, full stops etc.

Do not lie or exaggerate – ever!

Headings

Personal Details
Your name, address, contact numbers and email address.

Optional information – this may include your date of birth, nationality, marital status, drivers license.

Education

List the universities, colleges and schools you attended, including their location and the dates you were there. Include details of degrees, professional qualifications and school grade. List recognised training courses (e.g. Health & Safety), including date and length of course. Indicate your level of computer literacy and which software packages you are most familiar with.

Career objective

Write a brief paragraph on what type of role and level of responsibility you are seeking relative to your employment history and future aspirations.

Key achievements

List in bullet point format past achievements which you consider relevant to the position your seeking. You will need to modify these according to the role under consideration.