CV Tips

(Scroll down for extra tips on CVs and for a pdf Template with Tips)

There is no such thing as a perfect CV and there are many different schools of thought on the best approach. However, a CV must be easy to read, structured and contain relevant information. Your People First Recruitment consultant will be able to advise you individually on your CV, its content and layout. However, here is an article and a few pointers below to get you started:

Presentation

Use only one font
Use bullet points where possible
Keep the layout clean and organised
Limit your CV to a maximum of two sides of A4
Double-check your CV for spelling and grammatical errors and ask a friend to check your CV before you send it out.

Content

Make sure your CV is factual and concise
Back up your skills with examples of your achievements
Always be honest about facts including qualifications
Provide all your work history and explain any employment gaps – never try to cover up any gaps by tweaking the dates

Layout

The most important information should appear on the first page
Write a personal profile of yourself to highlight your strengths, achievements and qualities (this should be about 50 words maximum)
Include details of your education and qualifications, as well as names of schools and results achieved
Detail your work history in reverse chronological order, starting with your present or most recent job

Here are links to articles with more advice, and at the bottom are PDFs with sample CV templates