4 steps to build your CV and score your dream job

Is editing your CV a thrilling experience? No, not necessarily. But it is so important. Nothing puts off employers faster than a tired, outdated and uninspired CV. 

So let’s fix it! We’ve broken down each step into smaller sections to make what can seem to be an overwhelming task, feel a lot more manageable. And remember, although it’s wise to tailor your CV to specific applications, once you’ve got a solid CV foundation you’re well on the way to a strong application that could land you your dream role.

So, start by either taking a new online document to make a brand-spanking new CV, or editing your existing one as we go.

Let’s dive into it!

Section 1: Introduction/Personal Statement

When you read a book, what comes first? The introduction, obviously. Same principle here. If your intro isn’t punchy, succinct and useful, the employer won’t bother reading the rest of your CV. In a good introduction, you should:

• Tell the reader who you are
• Touch on your background (Just briefly. You’ll be able to elaborate on this later)
• Tell the reader what your career goals are

Try not to write more than about 4 sentences (we weren’t joking about being succinct). All your personal statement needs to do is give the reader a flavour of who you are, what you’ve done and what drives you.

NB: How formal you make the introduction, as well as which tense you write in, is really a judgement call, and it depends on the industry to which you’re applying. If you’re unsure, lean on the ‘formal’ side but show off your unique selling proposition (USP).

Section 2: Employment History

This is the aforementioned chance to elaborate on your background. This section, and the one following it, will comprise the real substance of your CV.

In reverse chronological order, list out your job history (i.e. begin with your current or most recent job and work backwards). 

Your more recent jobs will be far more important to the employer reading, so make sure you give a little more information about these. It may be that you list 4 points for your current role, 3 for your previous role and so on and so forth.

The structure you use for this doesn’t matter too much, as long as it’s logical, consistent and contains the necessary information. Here’s a format we’d recommend:

[COMPANY NAME]

[From MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY]

[JOB TITLE]

[LOCATION]

[1-4 bullet pointers outline of job role]

[Key responsibilities]

[Key skills learned and/or key achievements]

NB I: If there are significant gaps in your employment history (longer than a month), write down why e.g. “From August - November 2017 I was a full-time carer”

NB II: Note the word ‘key’! This should not be an exhaustive list of all your duties and achievements, just the main ones! Where relevant It can help to give evidence when demonstrating your key achievements

NB III: It’s important to ensure that this section is really clear and that the reader can quickly pick out main takeaways and achievements. Try displaying in a table or bolding key points.

Section 3: Education and Qualifications

The next section should list your educational history and any qualifications you have. It’ll take on a similar format to the previous part (i.e. a list in reverse chronological order), but should be far simpler.

Here, you’re showing the employer your aptitude across a range of subjects, with the addition of any specialised knowledge you have in specific fields. Use the following structure to get you going:

[INSTITUTION NAME]

[From MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY]

[SUBJECT STUDIED]

[GRADE ACHIEVED]

[OPTIONAL - If you want to include a line or two about what you learned during the studies, do so here. Try and think about what qualities the employer is looking for a candidate to have. Miss this out if you’re pushed for room though].

NB: Use this section to highlight any special qualifications you’ve got, too. This might include: First Aid training, L&D qualifications, Coaching qualifications, etc.

NB II: If you’ve already got a good amount of employment history under your belt, you can save space in the education section by simplifying what you put e.g. saying “10 GCSEs between Grade A and C” rather than listing each individual subject out.

Section 4: Hobbies and Interests

Enough with the lists now, right? We think so. The best way to round off your CV is in a soft, conversational way - a bit like your introduction. The difference being that in this is your opportunity to make the reader get a better sense of you as a person, rather than you as a list of skills and qualifications.

A question that comes up periodically is whether you should include interests and hobbies on a CV. It can come down to your industry, level and whether what you’re mentioning is relevant to the role. At the end of the day, you’re proposing to work with the reader and their teammates. What sort of person you are is of vital importance, but is too often neglected.

This section should be no longer than a paragraph, maximum. You can probably afford a few more lines than on your introduction; if the reader has got down to this point, they’re invested enough to read a couple of extra sentences.

NB: Write about a few different interests or hobbies, rather than going into huge detail on just one (but at the same, don’t simply write a list of every single thing you like!)

NB II: If one of your interests is within the same area as the job you’re applying to, mention it! For example: if you’re applying to a job in Sport and you also coach a football team in your spare time, talk about it!

NB III: You can use the space to talk about any volunteering work you have done, too - this can be a really great interest to highlight to your potential employer.

*** RULES TO REMEMBER ***

• No more than 2 sides of A4 - and that’s the maximum length. Shorter is better; if something’s non-essential, it goes.
• Spell check(!!) - You may hold a degree in English language, but even the best of us are susceptible to typos.
• References - It’s perfectly acceptable to say “references are available upon request”, because it saves space. Just don’t completely forget to mention it!
• Adapt it for purpose - Once your CV is written, use it as a ‘master copy’. Whenever you apply to a new job, check the description as tweak it where relevant.

Once you’ve updated you’re CV, visit our job board here to see what exciting opportunities are out there. Or if there’s more you’d like to learn, visit our events page here.