Update Your CV

The job market is competitive, and whether you’re looking for part-time jobs while you study, or a full-time job after completing your course, you’re going to need a great CV.

A CV is a way of showing employers who you are, what you’ve achieved and why you’re the best person to fill their vacancy. We’ve put together some top tips to help you create a CV that ticks all the boxes.

Your CV should be about you and your experience, but tailoring a CV to each job will help employers recognise how your skills match the job role. Read the job description or advert and then highlight which skills you have. Are these included on your CV? If not, add them. Then try to think of experience or skills you have that meet the other criteria. For example, even if you have never had a job, you may have gained customer service skills through work experience or team work skills by playing a team sport.

Your CV should only be a couple of pages of A4 paper. Employers could be looking at hundreds of CVs for each job, they don’t need to read an essay. The key points should be; your name, contact details (phone number and a sensible email address) your education history, previous job roles, details of your skills, references.

Leaving gaps in your career history just makes recruiters and prospective employers wonder what you were up to during that time. Make sure you clarify with statements like ‘bringing up children’ or ‘studying full-time’.

How much is getting this job worth to you? Employers will see errors as not paying attention to detail. Take time to go through and spellcheck your CV and make sure it is grammatically correct. There are some great online tools for checking spelling and grammar, but it also helps to get a friend, family member or teacher to check through for you.

Always tell the truth about your skills and experience. If you get the job but can’t do any of the things stated it will be noticed. You can tailor your CV for each job role and highlight what skills and/or experience you have, but make sure you are honest and don’t exaggerate.

If you are struggling to get started, or you would like feedback on your CV, please email careers@eastkent.ac.uk