Crack Your CV, Crack Open Opportunities

Grace Pountney
Jun 9, 2023
1 min read

Updated: Jun 24, 2023

Grace Pountney, Editor-in-Chief at Grace Writes

Written & Edited by: Grace Pountney (Editor-in-Chief)

Expand your horizons with Workflow Weekly, a Career Junkie blog. We support students and young people in their early careers by sharing individual accounts and recruitment process tips! We answer your Career Conundrums and give free feedback on CVs. 'Say Hello' using our form is you want your CV checked.

‼️ Download the template: https://gracepountney.gumroad.com/l/cvtemplate

It’s all about the CV

Your CV is your first impression.

It is the first way that you tell employers about all the amazing experiences you have.

It is the first time employers interact with you and learn about you.

You need to get your CV right.

Employers may receive hundreds of CVs for a specific role, so you need to stand out from the crowd and ensure your CV is the best reflection of you.

This step-by-step video will take you through each part of a CV, with examples of what each section should look like. It will also give you handy overall tips for smashing your CV!

How To Write A CV: Step-By-Step Guide

1. Getting Started

Open a Microsoft Word or Google Docs file - you don’t need to use anything fancy to create your CV.
Save your file as ‘[Your Name CV].
At the top of CV, in the centre, write your name in capital letters, bold, and in a slightly larger font size than the rest of your CV will be.
Just underneath, write your email address and telephone number with a bullet or slash in between.

2. Education

The first chunk of your CV! Education must come before your work experience.

Write ‘Education’ in bold and a slightly larger font to the text you’re going to include below
Below this, in reverse-chronological order, write the name of your schools, locations, dates you were there, qualifications, and grades
Include a couple of bullet points about skills gained in later education e.g. lab skills in a science degree

3. Experience

Write ‘Experience’ in bold and the same font size as you wrote the ‘Education’ title.
In reverse-chronological order write the dates, company names, and job roles you have had
Write a couple of short bullet points below each experience about the actions you took, making sure to include transferable skills developed

4. Courses and Events / Interests and Achievements

Write ‘Courses and Events’ and/or ‘Interests and Achievements’ in bold and the same font size as you wrote the ‘Education’ and ‘Experience’ titles.
For ‘Courses and Events’ briefly describe in short bullet points any relevant events you have attended or courses you have completed (online or in-person)
For ‘Interests and Achievements’ briefly describe in short bullet points any extra experiences such as awards, sports, volunteering or personal hobbies

DO's

1. Reverse-Chronological Order

List your education and experiences in reverse-chronological order i.e. newest/most recent first.

2. Statistics

Use numbers to quantify your actions, e.g. Led a team of 15 young people.

3. Bullet Points

Use short bullet points to record your key actions and skills, rather than long, formal sentences, e.g. Produced marketing reports for 4 conferences.

4. References

Include two references at the bottom of your CV or a line saying ‘References provided on request.’

5. Feedback & Check

Try and get feedback on your CV. If you are at school or university, contact your careers advisor or service to ask for feedback, and use resources they may have access to e.g. CareerSet CV checker.

Make sure you check your spelling and grammar. If employers receive a lot of CVs or applications, spelling and grammar mistakes can often be the difference between a 'yes' and a 'no'.

Read until the end of this article to find out about another way to get your CV checked...

DO NOT's

1. Photo

Do not include a photo; this is not necessary and may cause unconscious bias or discrimination.

2. Address

Do not include your address; since most CVs are sent digitally, nowadays, the inclusion of your address on your CV is not necessary, especially if you’re attaching a cover letter.

3. >2 Pages

Do not exceed 2 pages for your CV; writing brief bullet points and tailoring your experiences on your CV to the role you are applying for will help you keep to the limit

4. Write 'CV'

Do not write ‘CV’ on your CV; this is like writing ‘newspaper’ at the top of a newspaper or ‘email’ at the top of an email…you get the idea. Including CV in your saved file name does the job (unintentional pun there for you :D)).

5. Experience Before Education

Do not put your ‘Experience’ section before your ‘Education’ section. 'Education' must come first on your CV.

Career Conundrums

Each week, at Workflow Weekly, we answer your career questions!

Where can I get my CV checked?

We are happy to check your CV and give you feedback!

Watch 'The Ultimate Guide To CVs' YouTube video, and read through this article carefully, following the steps when creating your CV.
After you have done that, feel free to contact us via the 'Let's Chat' button or our form, asking for your CV to be checked. Grace can then connect with you on LinkedIn and you'll be able to send your CV to her to check.

Got a question? Submit it using the link below:

Submit a Question

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