A CV gives potential employers an introduction to you. Your qualifications, relevant work experience and a little bit about you, your hobbies and your interests that are relevant to the industry you want to work in.

Our five top tips to writing a good CV are:

– Ensure your spelling is correct
Ask someone to proofread it to make sure all spelling and grammar used is correct

– Give it some structure
Make sure it is easy to read and that it makes sense to the reader. Have a look at some CV templates on the internet, or on Word

– Make it interesting to read
Employers read a lot of CVs. Make sure yours stands out from the rest

– Adapt your CV to suit specific job descriptions
Make sure you look at the job description and tailor your CV so that it best suits what the employer is looking for

– Keep it concise!
As employers receive a lot of CVs, it’s good to keep it short and straight to the point. A CV should be no more than two sides of A4 and generally go back 10 years if appropriate.

A covering letter really helps introduce your CV to the employer and gives you an opportunity to say why you would like to work for them.

Make sure you can back up everything that is on your CV with proof, such as certificates of education or examples of work. Keep all of this together in a folder so that you can take it with you if you are invited to an interview.

Keep it current and updated. Your CV stays with you throughout your career, so when you gain new qualifications, new jobs and experiences, add them to your CV so it evolves and develops with you.

Sue Willmott
– Owner & HR and Careers Consultant for Sue Willmott HR & Careers Consultancy.

I am an Associate Member of the CIPD. I hold an MA in Human Resource Management and an ILM Level 5 Coaching and Mentoring. We are Matrix Accredited and a member of the Careers Development Institute.

You can contact me here: