CV advice

Your CV is the first stage of the recruitment process. It is your chance to shine and demonstrate to the employer you’ve got the skills, experience and potential required for the role.

It is a personal document, and advice around what should be included and how it should be presented can vary. These simple guidelines may help:

• Your professional experience should be relevant, simple and concise – there should be enough information to entice a potential employer to invite you to interview to find out more about you. Some of the best CV’s are on one or two pages.
• Below each company name, include a short company profile. One sentence is enough e.g. “£6billion turnover fashion retailer”. This will put your summary of achievements into some context.
• Where possible include tangible figures to support the information you present on your roles and responsibilities as they provide better perspective on the size and scale of the position or achievement.
• Your name and contact details (at least mobile number, email and home address) should be clear on your CV.
• Your education and professional qualifications should start with the most recent. Include any special achievements.
• Try to avoid using coloured fonts or background, and ensure you use a consistent style throughout the document.
• Think about your audience and draw out any experience that is particularly relevant to the role you are applying for.
• Always include some personal information that gives the reader an indication of what is important to you outside your professional life.

This is your profile so you must feel confident discussing all the details of your CV at interview.