APPLICATION

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 What is a CV?

The term ‘curriculum vitae’ literally means ‘course of life’. However, a CV should not be a list of all your experiences and achievements. It should be a document that demonstrates your suitability for a particular job and company. It should show, in an ordered and methodical way, how your profile matches the employer’s needs.

When employers ask for a CV, they’re setting you the task of inventing an ‘original’ application for the job. This is different from an application form, which asks all candidates to fill in the same boxes under the same headings. The CV really is a unique selling document. It’s an opportunity to make yourself stand out. It will be different for every application you make.

The decisions about which CV style to use, what to include and omit, what to emphasise, and how to order the information, are all determined by what is the best way to sell yourself to an employer who has a specific vacancy. Your CV is never ‘done’. It’s constantly revised and rewritten for each new application.

In the US, the term ‘résumé’ is usually used to distinguish this more marketed document from an academically focused biography, although in the UK the terms are more interchangeable.

The way you present information on your CV is relatively flexible and will depend on what you have to offer. However, it’s generally recognised that all CVs tend to include the following sections.

Personal details
Keep this section brief - no more than a quarter of a page. Ensure you’re easily contactable at the address given and if necessary include term-time and home addresses with dates for availability at each.

Email addresses are useful. Choose one that reflects well upon you - not for example, as one graduate employer reported: iamyou@yahoo.com.

In or out?

• Date of birth has been a usual but not mandatory feature on CVs. Age discrimination legislation made this a less legitimate CV requirement from October 2006.
• Nationality is not mandatory but can be useful, particularly to clarify your ability to work in a country. International students may wish to use this section to clarify their work permit status. Although some international students choose not to include nationality on a CV, some UK employers do not recruit non-EU nationals who need work permits, and may even screen out applicants at a later stage of selection if their nationality was not previously disclosed.
• Marital status, gender and health status are not included unless this information is specifically and legitimately requested for the post.

Personal profile/career objective

If you use a profile, keep it brief at three or four lines maximum. Use it to demonstrate your career focus and/or current aims and perhaps evidence of two or three main strengths and where they were developed.  You may want to tailor the profile to reflect company ethos and values. Avoid generic skills statements such as ‘good communicator, team worker with strong analytical skills’. Make the personal profile relevant to the vacancy and employer.
Profiles are optional and this information could alternatively be included in your covering letter.

Education

Details about your education are usually stated in reverse chronological order, with your most recent experiences first, back to your secondary level education. Include dates, the name of the institution, and town. Full addresses are not required. Integrate your education and qualifications into one section. Think about the relevance of the information. Summarise GCSEs but market your later education more fully and use language that will be familiar to the employer. Suggestions include a list of relevant modules, information about projects and dissertations undertaken, average grades to date or predicted results, and/or skills developed. For example:

It can be tempting to try to cover up a poor grade by not mentioning it at all, but there may be ways of limiting the damage on paper. If you’re unsure about how to approach this, consult your careers adviser.

Experience

All work experience counts, whether paid, voluntary or shadowing. Aim for reverse chronological order with rough dates to illustrate how long you were there. Focus on your responsibilities, achievements in the role, and illustrations of where skills were used or developed. Try to give yourself a job title and use terminology relevant to the post you’re applying for or that shows commercial awareness.

You may wish to create a separate section for experience particularly relevant to the post you’re applying for. Typical headers might be: ‘relevant experience’, ‘technical experience’ or ‘legal experience’. Similarly, as you gain more work experience, it may be appropriate to group some experiences together.

An example would be:

Summer 2007: A variety of customer service roles including bar work, waitressing and telesales. Developed an awareness of customer relationship management and improved my influencing skills when working with challenging clients under pressure.

Positions of responsibility, achievements, interests

These are all relevant sections to include and can be used to demonstrate that you’re motivated to pursue other activities, have an interest in a relevant career, and take the initiative to develop your involvements and skills. Again, try to focus on recent achievements and what your contributions were, what skills you developed and what the outcomes were. Employers will not necessarily spend time trying to make sense of your experience.

Referees

Two referees are the norm, one academic and one work-related, or a character referee if allowed.

Give their phone number and email along with their title and full contact address.

Always ask for their permission first and remember to keep them informed of your career aspirations and achievements to date.

If a reference from your immediate manager is not possible, consider using someone else in the company.

If using an international referee, it’s a good idea to confirm with them that they can provide a fax or email in English.

If you’re running out of space, and referees’ details are not explicitly requested, it’s acceptable to state ‘References available upon request’.

Job applications: Power words

magine the reluctant reader of the CV who wants applicants to sell themselves into the job.

Consider the systematic reader of application forms looking for how candidates address the selection criteria.

Help them find what they want by using direct, positive and appropriate language in your application:

Sub-headings and bullets

Sub-headings and bullet points are used for both CVs and personal statements to make the application more accessible to the reader.

If possible, use the language of the employer in the headings.

Make the first word in a bullet point an active verb, such as 'organised', 'delivered'.

Be positive

When writing in the first person on application forms, be positive and affirmative.

Avoid saying: ‘I feel that I am a good communicator’, or: ‘I believe in diversity and equal opportunities.’ Say rather: ‘I am a good communicator’ and: ‘I am committed to diversity and equal opportunities.’

Constant use of equivocal language can undermine an employer’s confidence in the strength of the skills or attributes you’re describing.

Themed paragraphs

On application forms write themed paragraphs. Do not intertwine separate criteria in the same paragraph. The recruiter may miss one of your points.

Revise and edit

Achieving a direct simplicity takes a great deal of effort. You need to revise and edit your text until every word counts. That way, the employer is more likely to read every word.

Words to use

These words and phrases may be useful in job applications:

Experience

1. Demonstrated skills in…

2. Extensive academic/practical background in…

3. Experienced in all aspects of…

4. Knowledge of/experienced as/proficient in…

5. Provided technical assistance to…

Ability

1. Trained in…
2. Proficient in/competent at…
3. Initially employed to…
4. Expert at…
5. Working knowledge of…
6. Organised…

Success

1. Promoted to…
2. Succeeded in…
3. Proven track record in…
4. Experience involved/included…
5. Successful in/at…
6. Instrumental in…
7. Delivered…

Responsibilities

1. In charge of…
2. Supervised/delegated…
3. Now involved in/coordinate…
4. Familiar with…
5. Employed to/handle…
6. Assigned to…
7. Project managed…

Roles

1. Analysed/evaluated…
2. Established/created/designed…
3. Formulated…
4. Initiated…
5. Managed…
6. Presented…

Personal attributes

1. Committed to…
2. Confident
3. Enthusiastic user of…
4. Actively sought…

CVs and covering letters: Covering letters

Your CV should always be accompanied by a covering letter. This gives you an opportunity to give your CV some context.

The covering letter is the principal way in which you can demonstrate your understanding of the employing organisation and how you relate to its values, ethos and aspirations. While your CV sets out the skills you have for the post, your covering letter more explicitly presents your motivation and adaptability. A covering letter should:

• demonstrate to the employer your interest in and knowledge of the company;
• highlight particular parts of your CV that are your unique selling points;
• draw attention to additional information that does not fit easily into a CV;
• explain any personal circumstances or anomalies in your application.

Well-written covering letters are also particularly effective for speculative applications outside a recruitment cycle.

Style

• Address your letter to a named person. Especially with speculative applications, you should phone the company and find out the name of the person who deals with recruitment. This will ensure that it reaches the right person. It also gives you a contact name for a follow-up call or email.
• Think from the employer’s perspective rather than your own. Tell them what you can contribute to the organisation rather than how it can benefit you.
• Ideally your covering letter should be no more than one page long and with short and clearly themed paragraphs.

Content

The following format provides a useful overview for a letter:

• Briefly introduce yourself, state what position you’re applying for and where you saw it advertised. For a speculative letter, specify the type of work you’re looking for.
• Explain why you’re interested in this type of work, demonstrating an understanding of what it’s likely to involve.
• Explain why you’re interested in working for this particular employer. Demonstrate enthusiasm and evidence of research into such aspects as their successes, involvements, values or clients.
• Highlight the ways in which you’re suitable for this position. Provide evidence of your key strengths by referring to experience listed on your CV. Aim to show that your key strengths reflect the requirements of the employer and position.
• Take the opportunity, if necessary, to explain any anomalies in your background, such as any time gaps or any ways in which you don’t match the selection criteria. Perhaps explain how any hurdles you’ve encountered have helped you develop in a positive way.
• Indicate availability for interview.

Disclosure of disability

You may feel that your health or disability doesn’t affect your ability to do the job for which you’re applying, and that the employer won’t view you objectively if the disability is declared. This is your choice. At the same time, disclosure can be positive when it shows how you’ve developed skills in adverse circumstances or have overcome significant obstacles to reach your current level of achievement.

Disclosure also improves your access to equal opportunities and training schemes in place under current legislation. There may be a health and safety implication, e.g. a requirement for workplace adaptations, which the employer needs to know from the outset. Failure to disclose the truth on an application form when asked, or on a medical form, could give rise to dismissal later on.

A covering letter may refer to disability in terms such as:

‘My enthusiasm and determination can be demonstrated by voluntary work. As a member of the National Diabetic Association, I help to raise funds to increase awareness. Having diabetes and achieving high academic grades, working part time throughout my studies and raising large amounts of money through organising sponsored events, has developed my flexibility and ability to meet targets and manage my work effectively’.

See an application  sample.   
See and Interview tips.