CV Do's & Dont's

• November 25, 2020

A CV can be hard to get right. Especially if you’ve never written one before or it’s been a while since you’ve sent one out. So here are some tips for what to include:

DO:

• Include a personal statement - a few lines at the top outlining your skills and what you’re looking for. 
• Keep the layout clean - stick to a reverse chronological order for employment and education, and make it easy to read and print out.
• Create a consistent look  - use the same font type, size, format and spacing.
• Save it as a Word or PDF document with your name and ‘CV’ in the title.
• Keep it 2 pages long - I know it’s tough, but that’s enough for most CVs

DON’T:

• Include a photo - unless you’re an actor or model, it’s unnecessary.
• Let spelling errors slip through - use a tool like Grammarly to check your CV and double check it (or get a friend to help) before you send it.
• Write in long paragraphs - it’s hard work to read. Bullet points and white space are your friend.
• Use cliches, buzzwords, emojis or jargon - they’re an instant turnoff.
• Lie! It’s often easy to check and guaranteed to kill your chances.

Good luck and take your time to get it right so you stand the best chance of making it into the ‘yes’ pile.

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