Do you want to learn how to make a perfect CV? A CV is a marketing document in which you are marketing something: yourself! You need to “sell” your skills, abilities, qualifications and experience to employers. Here are some tips you can follow to create your own Curriculum Vitae.

Personal Information

This will generally be at the top of the first page. The 4 most important pieces of information in this section should be.

1) Your full name

2) An up to date address (This is optional it is your decision to put your address on it or not)

3) An up to date mobile/landline number

4) An up to date email address

Personal Statement or Personal Profile

This is your first opportunity to market yourself and is crucial for any potential employer as it has to capture them as they read it. This part can be the difference from them continuing to read your CV or move it to the side. Ideally try and capture all you want to say in 100 to 150 words max. This personal statement must best describe your character, aspirations, motivation, work ethic, drive & enthusiasm so leave nothing uncovered.

Personal Profile Example

I am a confident and ambitious individual who has a positive and open minded attitude towards learning new skills. I am always willing to do my best to succeed in everything I undertake.  I work well in a team environment and am equally efficient using my own initiative. I am willing to accept any training offered to me by a prospective employer to further my abilities and subsequently enhance the business. I thrive on new challenges, tackle every job with 100% effort and get on well with people from all walks of life.  My communication and organisational skills are of an excellent standard.

Skills/Qualities/Attributes

There are so many skills required for the world of work. Everyone has picked up transferable skills in life. These are skills you use in everyday life can be transferred into the workplace. If you do not have any or a lot of work experience it is good to mention transferable skills. When writing in this section write the Skills/Qualities/Attributes that best suit you. There are a few examples below. Some of these should also be mentioned when writing your personal statement.

Employment History

Here you start with your most recent employment and work back. Always put down any work experience or voluntary work as this is crucial. It is important to have start dates, finished dates, job titles & job duties. I have put an example below.

A&M Scotland                                                                                    Sep 2012 – Present

Football Coach

A&M Scotland is a charity organisation that brings free football and dance to deprived areas of Glasgow. They have a great ethos and stand for things that I am very passionate about. My work with A&M has led me to plan, implement & evaluate football specific coaching sessions to a variety of ages and abilities from 5 to 19 year’s old. There are 2 coaching session’s midweek and the team plays in a structured 11 a side league on a Friday night. This programme also focuses on crime reduction and builds self-esteem in those who attend.

Education/Qualification/Achievements/Training

In this section we are looking for

• School Qualifications and year started and year finished
• Any college or university and year started and year finished
• Any additional qualifications achieved
• Any certificates that have been completed
• Write about any significant achievements for example – Taking part in voluntary work with children from disadvantaged communities. This shows another side to your passion, commitment & desire.

Hobbies & Interests

In this section it is important to write about what you do in your spare time and what interests you outside of work.

Additional Information

In this section write about anything else you feel could be relevant to the job role.

References

It is important to say that excellent references are available upon request. There is no need at this point to put names and addresses down of your reference.

I hope that this information has been helpful for you.  If you require any additional advice on making a CV please get in touch.