CV advice
A quick search online will throw up a multitude of websites offering endless varieties of CV templates, essential items to include and a million horror stories about CVs being overlooked, thrown in the bin and laughed off the table. It’s enough to make you go crying back to your school careers advisor.
As daunting as that seems, your CV is usually used in addition to a company application form and used correctly it’s the best way of showing the employer what you’re made of.
Begin with a blank word document and a nice plain font. Put your name and personal details at the top and get a respectable email address because 'igetdrunkeverynight@hotmail.com' will probably put them right off.
The CV should be no longer than two sides of A4 and you should set it out simply with lots of space for each section. Include a career profile outlining your aspirations as well as the usual qualifications and work experience.
You should revamp your CV for every job you apply for, this sounds like a lot of work, but it’s worth it. Replicate words used in the job advertisement and put your qualifications and experience relevant to the role on the first page. Don’t forget to include dates, job titles and experience gained that could be used in the job you are applying for.
Try to make yourself stand out, use exciting language and check, check and check again for errors. You should supply two references, and back up all your claims with measurable evidence, don’t say you’re a team player unless you can prove your worth with an example.
Finally, be prepared to talk about your CV in an interview so make it interesting and personal but most of all, don’t lie, don’t even be tempted to embellish the truth as you will be caught out.