The Layout

The CV should be laid out in an easy to read format under specific headings. The CV should generally be broken down into the following sectors:

  • Personal Profile

    • A little about you, what you do, how long you have been doing it and what you are looking for from your next role.

  • Skills

    • What are your main skills, bullet point these to grab the reader’s attention. Do you hold any role specific qualifications, ecological licences, project management qualifications, BREEAM Assessor etc.

  • Education

    • Which educational institutions did you attend, when and what were your results

  • Experience

    • This should make up the majority of the CV, detail each position, the dates you started and finished and your position with them. Under each role bullet point your duties and responsibilities making each concise but providing enough detail to ensure the reader is aware of your experience.

  • Additional Qualifications

    • Any additional qualifications, driving licence, first aid qualified etc.

  • Project Experience

    • Provide an overview of 2-3 projects you have worked on, generally those you have found most interesting, most challenging or those you have been heavily involved in. You should be confident discussing them as these will often form the basis of an interview.

Keep it simple, use one font but emphasise the different sections of the CV by making titles slightly larger, bold or underlined.

Don’t use an array of colour (unless the industry you recruit for requires it, i.e. graphics)

The Content

  • Treat the CV as a ‘live document’, for each role you apply to you should amend and edit the content however slightly to ensure it is tailored to the role you are applying for.
  • Focus the content of the CV to the key skills and requirements of the job advertisement or job description. Should the role require someone to have a specific qualification or set of skills ensure these are mentioned in your CV.
  • Ensure all of your contact details are on the first page of your CV and that they are up to date. These should include your full name, phone number and email address, feel free to also add your Linked In profile URL and any other details you feel may be relevant.
  • When listing education ensure the most recent is first and the most detailed. Clients are generally more interested in the highest level of education achieved and therefore more detail on your degree/HND and what it included such as your dissertation topic etc. is more important than listing all of the subjects you studied at GCSE level instead listing the number of A-Cs should suffice.
  • Ensure the tone of your CV is positive throughout. Clients are more interested in what you have and can offer than what you don’t!
  • Ensure you mention additional skills/personality traits outside of simply your work experience. These may include attributes such as leadership, team-working and a positive attitude.
  • Avoid leaving date gaps in your CV, these will only lead to questions from prospective employers.
  • If you are a recent graduate looking for your first role ensure you tailor your CV for th post you are trying to get. Previous work experience is definitely useful however concentrate your efforts on maximising the modules studied in your degree/HND etc. and the dissertation topic studied.
  • It is a common myth that CVs should be two pages long. The CV is the first impression a prospective employer will get of you and the first opportunity you get to sell yourself, you should take advantage of this by ensuring you include all significant and relevant experience to increase your attractiveness to them. This said, don’t waffle! A good way to ensure you are keeping things concise I to use bullet points rather than continuous prose, this will also ensure that the reader pays full attention.