Useful links:
How to craft a stellar CV
How to write an outstanding cover letter
12 days of Winter Work Skills
How to format a CV
1. Use a tried-and-tested format.
Don’t reinvent the wheel. Yes, you might just design the best thing ever given enough time in Microsoft Word. This time, however, should be spent crafting the content of your CV, and finding job offers that get you excited.
2. Don’t get fancy.
Unless you are applying to a super-creative field, stick to what we know works. Adding pictures, graphics and funky designs can do two things: confuse the Applicant Tracking Software (it scans for keywords), and annoy the recruiter. Or worse—both.
3. Try to keep to one page.
Do you have less than a decade of relevant experience? Then you should probably stick to one page. Do you have more experience, or a lot of projects and accomplishments? You might need a two-pager.
4. Divide your CV into clear sections.
Make section headings slightly larger than the rest of the contents. Use bold or underline for higher readability.
5. Use professional fonts.
Pick a good font for a CV and stick to it on the whole document. Safe choices include Calibri and Arial.
6. Add enough white space.
Set one-inch margins on all sides and use 1.0 or 1.15 line spacing. Add a blank line before and after each heading.
7. Save your CV in PDF format.
What format should a CV be in? PDF, unless they ask for a different file format. Check the job ad. Because of Applicant Tracking Systems, some companies like to ask for .doc CVs. Otherwise, save as .PDF. It puts your document somewhere halfway between a picture and a text document — which protects the formatting on all devices.
Job vs career
You’re probably surrounded by parents, teachers and careers advisors, all telling you that it’s time to think about your career. But what does this mean, and why is it about more than just getting a job? Find out why it’s important to start thinking about.
What are soft skills and why are they important?
Soft skills is a term often used by careers advisors and employers to describe the kind of essential personal skills and social capabilities people need to be able to do most jobs. Find out about some of the key skills that will help you in the future.
How to… Career guides
There is a whole host of careers you may be interested in learning more about. Below, we have collated some interesting and useful ‘how to’ articles which explain how you can involved with that particular career area.
