Tips for writing your CV

• Keep your CV/Resume to 2 pages maximum and use Arial font size 11
• Avoid italics or underlined words
• Check your spelling and grammar
• Use bullet points to break up text and avoid acronyms, abbreviations and internal terminology
• Avoid trims, grids and borders, tables and graphics as documents are difficult to scan

Your CV/Resume should always be truthful and accurate. Use it to explain who you are, what you have done, what skills and knowledge you can offer and what your career goals are.

• Include your personal contact information and check that it is correct – your name, full address including your postal/zip code, cell/mobile number and email address if you have one. The first line must contain only your name, with a separate line for your address, phone number and email address
• Use a professional email address e.g. [email protected].
• Start your education summary with the highest qualification and a subject summary. Only mention training that is relevant to the application.
• In your work experience, start with your most recent and clearly list who you worked for, job title, for how long, what you did and your achievements. Focus on the most recent and relevant and shorten previous roles. Explain any gaps in employment.
• Use powerful action verbs to start sentences, e.g. improved, negotiated, reduced, etc
• Include any relevant skills, professional associations, volunteer experience and even hobbies but keep it brief. Be clear, structured and concise

One CV/Resume will not fit all applications. It needs to be a very targeted document for the role you are applying for. Build a master CV/Resume but adjust it for each role you are applying for, focusing and expanding on what is most relevant..