By 
How to write a CV in 9 SIMPLE steps
Whether you’re writing your first CV or improving the CV you’ve already written: Below you’ll find 9 easy-to-follow steps to write a perfect CV that covers everything from personal details to final references section.
Each chapter contains writing instructions, a complete example + useful tips.
Key points:
- A resume (often abbreviated as CV) is the Latin expression of “the course of one’s life”.
- The best way to look at a CV is to view it as a “marketing tool” or “sales brochure” where you sell your skills, qualifications, expertise, and potential to a prospective employer.
- As a general rule, a CV should not be longer than 2 A4 pages in length.
Getting started…
Step 2: Personal profile statement
Step 3: Achievements
Step 4: Education
Step 5: Employment
Step 6: Qualifications
Step 7: Skills
Step 8: Hobbies
Step 9: References
The personal details section appears at the top of your resume and is the first thing a potential employer will see.
This section should contain the following information in chronological order:
- Your name: in bold capital letters and located in the middle of the page
- Your contact information: address, mobile phone number and e-mail address
74 Summerfield Road, Dorset, DJ3 9XY
Mobile: 07976627294 E-mail: jessica.murray@gmail.co.uk
- Don’t write “Resume” at the top of your CV.
- Avoid unprofessional email addresses (eg Darknight007@live.com)
- Do not add the “address:” prefix before the real address
- Avoid adding optional details such as your date of birth, gender, marital status, nationality, unless it is helpful to include such information.
The personal profile statement is the second part of your resume and is a short statement that tells the potential employer about your personal skills and qualifications, the experiences you have and your career goals and passions.
When writing your personal profile, make sure that:
- Short (no more than 5 lines);
- Related to the job you are applying for and;
- Includes some real world examples.
I am a creative, creative and flexible Copywriter capable of developing effective written material including but not limited to corporate web content, emails, press releases, newsletter articles, blog posts, and social networking site posts. My Class 1 Honors in Advertising and my extensive experience in this field are testament to the passion and drive I have to succeed in this competitive industry.
- Your personal statement should be sharp and outline your personal characteristics relevant to the task you are applying for.
- Don’t be humble, be confident and only write positive things about yourself
- DO NOT talk about vague stereotypes such as “excellent communication skills” or “I can work well in a team and on my own initiative”
- WITHOUT giving real-life examples of these skills and abilities.
Adding a list of achievements to your CV is a great way to set your CV apart from the rest. Research has shown that applicants with success-oriented CVs are three times more likely to be interviewed than candidates with task-oriented CVs!
What types of achievements should you include in this section? Well, achievements that portray you in a positive way are worth considering, including:
-
- Awards won
- Promotions
- Educated or educated others
- Completed important projects on time and within budget
- Increasing sales figures (by this and that percentage)
- Save time by developing effective methods and tools
- Qualifications acquired
- Good results in inspection and testing
- Leader / captain / manager in some clubs or organizations
- Fun fairs, open days, etc. It is stipulated in organizations.
-
- More than two years of relevant work experience in the field
- 2: 1 degree in Business Management from University of London
- Student Ambassador (2 Open Days), Bexley College
- Include only relevant achievements in this section
- Do not include more than three items under this section
- Use only bullets and short sentences, not long paragraphs
- This section is optional; If you think you don’t have anything useful to include here, you can skip this and go straight to the education and training section.
This section should include a summary of your educational background and is one of the most important parts of your CV. It briefly informs the reader about the education you have received until today, starting from the most recent.
Courses you can list here:
- Undergraduate and postgraduate degrees
- A-Levels, BTECs and other college-level courses
- GCSEs
It is also good at listing any additional training / qualifications you have taken. However, in our example, we have added a separate “Qualifications” section below to separate education from vocational training. What are the steps to write a CV?,#What are the 7 basic steps to writing a CV?,#How do you write a CV for the first time?,#What is the correct format for a CV?,#What does a good CV look like 2020?,#What should not be included in a CV?,#How do I write my first CV at 16?,#How can I make my CV no experience?,#How can I make my CV more attractive?,#What does a good CV look like?,#How do I write my CV profile?,#What is CV template?,#How do I write a CV 2020?,#How do I update my CV 2020?,#Why does a CV get rejected?,#How do I know if my CV is good?,#How can I make my CV more attractive in Word?,#What to say when you hand in your CV?,#What employers look for in a CV?,#Do you put everything on your CV?,#How do I make a good CV ever?,#How do I write a perfect CV?,#How do I get my resume noticed?
2013 – 2016 BSc Computer Science Northampton University
Grade achieved: [1st Class Hons]
Relevant modules:
- Programming Languages: Java, PHP and C ++
- Human computer interaction
- System Security and Encryption
- Contemporary Trends in Computer Science
2012 – 2013 A-Levels East London College
Results: ICT: B Media: A English Literature: B
2005 – 2012 GCSEs Ada Secondary School
Results: 11 GCSEs at Grades A*-C, including Maths and English.
- Just add relevant and up-to-date information that will add value to your CV. For example, if you have a PhD in Molecular Biology, it makes no sense to dedicate a large portion of your CV to your primary, secondary and university education!
- Always accompany all entries in this section by notes and dates (start – end)
- Expand the key education (e.g. degree) and list the relevant modules you completed as part of the course
The employment and work experience section of a CV is another important part of your resume dedicated to the work experience you have had to date.
Below are some of the jobs you can add under this section:
- Permanent and temporary jobs
- Full-time and part-time jobs
- Weekend and summer jobs
- Volunteer positions
- Industrial placements and internships
Each entry must be accompanied by the following information:
- The name of the company you work for
- Start and end dates (start and end)
- Your job title
- Your primary roles and responsibilities
Oct 2014 – Present Customer Service Officer Mobile Land
Main duties performed:
- Providing information and advice to customers regarding current products, services and offers
- Forwarding customer calls to the right department when necessary
- To deal with all kinds of complaints, suggestions and feedback on a daily basis and to ensure that they are processed and handled correctly
- Providing relevant support to customers based on needs
- Processing orders and receiving payment
- Dealing with the cancellation, return and replacement of products and services
- Contacting the Sales department for payment related issues
- Ensuring that product information is accurate and up to date;
- Alleviate tense situations by providing reasonable solutions, advice and information to clients in a professional and courteous manner
Mar 2013 – Sept 2014 Sales and Marketing Assistant Primark
Main duties performed:
-
- Acting as the first point of contact for existing and new customers of the store
- Serving customers and guiding them around the store, until the operation
- To deal with customer questions and complaints on a daily basis.
- Providing customers with expert advice on product selection
- Organizing showcases (and special promotions)
- General cleaning and maintenance of the shop.
- Highlight your accomplishments in tasks (e.g. exceeding sales targets, managing a project or a team, being assigned higher responsibilities, etc.)
- Do not include your previous employers’ contact information here (you can specify this in the “References” section below)
- Don’t mention outdated, irrelevant or unimportant work experiences
- Avoid overusing jargon and technical terms that many readers may not be familiar with.
The qualifications section of a CV is often combined with the Education section, but on this occasion, we have separated the two for readability and presentation purposes.
In this section, you can list the names of the attributes you acquired with the following information:
- Certificate issuer / training provider
- Qualification level (if applicable)
- Certificate validity / expiration date (if applicable)
- Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Customer Service – The Open University
- Level 2 ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) – BCS
- First Aid at Work – HSE
- First mention the most important attribute
- Try to limit the number of your qualifications to a maximum of 5.
- Including dates is optional so it is generally recommended to exclude
The skills section of a CV is an optional section where you can talk about some of the skills and abilities you have that will help you with the job you are applying for.
There are a wide variety of skills you can talk about, such as:
-
- IT Skills – the ability to use the computer to perform tasks
- Communication – the ability to listen / speak people constructively
- Interpersonal – The way you relate to and interact with others
- Numeric – numbers, mathematics, estimates, etc. Ability to process.
- Analytical – to give meaning to data, to analyze information
- Problem solving – offering solutions to problems
- Teamwork – being able to work with other people to achieve a common goal
- Leadership – being able to take responsibility, lead / mentor others, etc.
- Organization – meeting deadlines, planning and scheduling tasks, etc.
- Excellent communication skills and telephone behavior, with the ability to speak clearly, loudly and gently
- Computer literate with 70wpm (words per minute) typing speed and time-efficient response to e-mails and letters
- Clean UK driving license filled with my own transport
- Try to add real-world examples to the skills you always mention
- Include only relevant skills that will help you with the job
You can use the hobbies and interests section of your resume to show that you are a versatile person involved in extracurricular activities and the community.
Below are some of the benefits of having hobbies on your CV:
- Will give the recruiter a more complete and complete picture of you
- Sportive interests show you are fit and healthy
- Community participation shows good interpersonal skills
- Outside interests tell the employer you can also have a good time
- They make a great basis to discuss during the interview phase
In my spare time, I like to focus on my photography hobby, visit national galleries and meet new people. I am also very passionate about food and I love to go to restaurants regularly with my friends and family.
– When applying for a catering job
- Mention a hobby or two related to work. In the example above, the person is applying for a catering position and says he is passionate about food and enjoys going to restaurants.
- Don’t add hobbies that don’t add value to your practice
- Always keep in mind that the priorities of your resume are other important parts of your resume such as education and employment sections. Do not fill half a page with your hobbies and neglect the most important parts!
The references section on your CV is the last part that cannot be completely extracted. Your references should be two people who know you well and have worked with you one way or another and can vouch for the prospective employer.
One of your references must be your current or former employer, and the assistant referee can be anyone who knows you well.
Include the following details for each of your referees:
- Full name
- Title/position
- (Work) Address
- Telephone number
- Email address
Mr Jack Adams
Store Manager, Exclusive Luxury
Address: 5 Summerland Rd, Oxford, OX8 3QP
Tel: 0533 433 907
Email: jack.adams1@gmail.co.uk
Mrs Angela Willingham
Direct, 360 Vision Ltd.
Address: 72 Casper St, Bexley, BP2 7CL
Tel: 0783 796 7830
Email: angela.willingham@360vision.co.uk
- Always give the title of the referees; otherwise, they can be your friends for everything we know!
- Always ask permission from your references before writing on your CV
- If you decide not to include references to your resume, you can simply write “references available on request”.
Final Tips:
- Use appropriate presentation techniques to make your resume easy to scan and read
- Fit the content of your CV on 2 A4 pages (remove information as needed)
- Don’t forget to re-read your CV for spelling and grammar mistakes.
- Make your CV suitable for each job you apply for
Congratulations! Now you have written a great resume that will significantly increase your chances of getting a job interview. Good luck!
Comments