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Creating an Effective Curriculum Vitae

Content

An effective CV will contain all or most of the following information:

• Personal Details: Name, Address, telephone number, email address (if available).  
• Work Experience: Includes paid/unpaid, full-time/part-time employment and voluntary experience, detailing position, responsibilities and skills.
• Education & Training: Primary to Post-Secondary education. Include also, additional training qualifications especially those that highlight skills development.
• Interests & Hobbies: List interests, hobbies, membership of clubs/local organisations/community groups.
• Referees: A referee is someone who agrees to give a verbal or written reference to a prospective employer on your behalf.  Therefore, he/she needs to be someone who knows your work and is contactable.  Include their address and telephone number.  If you only have written references use this as your heading instead of 'Referees'.

Guidelines

1. Length: 2 pages maximum. It is your  promotional tool and you need to give as much information as possible.
2. Your CV should be clear, concise and easy to read.  Use strong headings (bold) and bullet points for listing Responsibilities and Skills. Do not use paragraphs.  Typeface should be conservative; i.e. Times New Roman, at pt.12 or pt.10 if there is a lot of information.
3. Use reverse chronological order for dates; i.e. your most recent education and work experience first working backwards.
4. Use A4 good quality paper - white or cream is preferable.
5. As prospective employers may wish to photocopy CV do not print on both sides of page.  There is also no need to bind CV as covers may be disposed of.
6. Finally, always have someone else read through your CV, preferably a professional.  Your CV needs to be absolutely error-free - spelling mistakes make a very bad impression on your prospective employer!.