Writing a CV

Your CV is like your very own advertisement – a chance to sell yourself and tell people exactly why they should choose you.

It can be tricky to know how to write a CV, especially if you haven’t had any/many jobs. The following CV tips are here to help you make sure that your “ad” does the job. 

How long should a CV be?

The general rule is that your pupil CV shouldn’t be any longer than two sides of A4.

Be concise and pull out your key skills and experience but don’t go too far in the opposite direction and leave off important things either. If it’s less than a single page, have a think about whether you’ve forgotten something. If you’ve got lots to say, don’t try to get too clever with teeny tiny margins and big blocks of text to cram it all into two pages as that can be off-putting. Just prioritise the most important aspects that highlight your skills.

What should I include in my CV?

• Personal details – full name, address, phone number, email address.
• Personal statement - The opening paragraph of your CV should be a personal summary of your achievements, skills, work experience and education. Think of it as a personal statement where you tell employers why they should hire you – so make sure it's written with the job in mind.

  This part of your CV shouldn’t be too long, keep it short and concise and try to limit it to around 100 words or so.

• Achievements – This can be a good chance to show yourself off. You could include things like winning an award, doing work experience or being captain of a team or club.
• Skills – List your key skills and give practical examples of them. Skills to put on a CV can include organisation, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Work experience – this can be actual work experience, voluntary roles or any previous jobs (including Saturday/holiday jobs). Include job title, dates you worked there and a summary of your tasks.
• Education – list all the qualifications/exams that you are studying for along with the name and address of the school where you intend to take your exams.  
• Interests – add a few lines about hobbies or personal projects (like a blog or website you created, or learning a language in your spare time). You don’t have to have this section but if you’ve got something good to put in it then you should. It’s not worth including the usual stuff like going to the cinema or reading though.
• Referees – it’s a good idea to include two people who can give you a reference. Usually this is someone who has managed you in a job or work experience and/or a tutor or teacher.

CV tips

• Get a formal email address: If your contact email on your CV is cheekygirl201@randomemail.com it doesn’t give off the most professional vibe. If you need to, open a new email account for job applications and use your full name as your email address.
• Update your CV every time you achieve something new
• Adapt your CV to make it relevant to the position/course you are applying for. Highlight specific skills for different jobs.
• Back up what you say. Don’t just write, “I have excellent communications skills”, you need to explain why.
• There is no need to add a photo, your date of birth, relationship status or even your gender. Let your skills and work experience do the talking. 
• Adding some formatting and a splash of colour to your CV can be great, but don’t go too far. Make sure that your basic CV is straightforward and text based.
• Be honest about your skill levels. Say if you’re in the middle of studying something at a higher level, but don’t say you’re a pro until you get there.

WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR CV

Get involved in extra-curricular activities
You might not be aware of it, but school has a heap of activities that you can take part in that will help you gain valuable experience. Some activities to consider signing up for include:

• Pupil Voice (shows that you have passion) 
• Sports clubs (shows you’re a team player)
• School Performances (shows that you’re organised & a team player)

Above all, what these activities show is that you have initiative. Most employers are aware that young people find it difficult to get their first break and will appreciate the effort you’ve taken to gain as much work experience as you can.

Consider volunteering for a few weeks

A great way to improve your working experience is to volunteer for a few weeks. If you have a particular type of job in mind that you’d like to do, why not search for companies within that industry and request to do a couple of weeks volunteering with them? The company will benefit from having an extra pair of hands for a few weeks, and you’ll benefit from improving your knowledge, understanding and experience, which will look great on your CV! Finding volunteering opportunities is easier than you think. The first place you should start looking is in your local area. Drop by some of the places that you wouldn’t mind working in for a few weeks and ask if they have the capacity to take you on as a volunteer.

Mention your academic achievements

Most people list their GCSE results, but very few make the effort to make their qualifications stand out. For example, if you’ve been highly commended for a particular project or assignment, why not mention it on your CV? Although your CV should follow a set structure, you should also do what you can to make yourself stand out from the crowd.

Draw attention to your online skills

Regardless of what industry you’re looking to get into, having a good working knowledge of the online world is hugely beneficial. Companies in all different industries now have an online presence, so if you have a particular skill set that could help, you should definitely mention it on your CV, even if it doesn’t directly relate to the position you’re applying for.

Perhaps you’re a programming whizz, or are really good with Excel spreadsheets? These types of skills can prove invaluable to companies that don’t have employees who are well-versed in online matters.

CV templates

There are many CV templates available online and within Microsoft Word as templates.

Below are a few suggestions:

• Live Career - A simple step by step CV builder.
• Fish 4 Jobs - School leavers CV template
• Positive Steps @16 - CV writer
• CV Template master

• Do:  Keep it short and sweet
• DO: Check spelling and grammar
• DO: Keep updating your CV
• DO: Get a formal email address
• DO: Adapt it to different jobs/courses you are applying for
• DO: Back up what you say

• DON’T: get too personal
• DON’T: be too creative
• DON’T: exaggerate