The experience and skills that you display on your CV are what make a recruiter or hiring manager decide whether to reject your application or take it further. However, the person viewing your CV may not even see everything you have to offer if your CV format is not clear and well-structured.
Recruiters and hiring managers will not always have the time to read every word on your CV from start to finish, so it needs to be user-friendly. They should be able to quickly pinpoint the key sections, qualifications, experience and skills. Having your CV in a structured format will allow them to do this and to better assess whether you are a good fit for the opportunity they are recruiting for.
We have put together a useful format for you to follow. We always recommend that our candidates ensure that they use this format before we put their details forward to one of our clients.
We believe that this is a really solid basis for a strongly organised and cohesive CV:
Section 1 – Personal Details
This section should include your full name, address, email and contact details (always include your mobile number). It’s also worth stating here whether you have a full, clean driving licence.
Section 2 – Personal Profile
Write a short paragraph detailing who you are and what you are looking for.
Section 3 – Education
The most recent should come first. Do not include too much detail about less significant qualifications. Do include relevant training and courses you have attended by date and course title.
Section 4 – Work Experience
Do not provide substantial detail about jobs that are not relevant to the role you are applying for. Bear in mind that your work experience should demonstrate consistency and progression. You will want to highlight transferable skills in this section and be sure to include key facts, summarise main responsibilities and feature your personal achievements at work.
Perhaps consider bullet pointing your skills/achievements within each work experience section to keep it concise and easy to read.
Section 5 – Interests and Hobbies
Expand upon your passions, hobbies and achievements outside of work. Try to use your hobbies to further demonstrate skills such as commitment, leadership and achievements.
Section 6 – References
You can either provide the name, relationship to you and contact details of your referees, or state “Available upon request”. Any references given should be up-to-date and their details correct.
If you use a well-structured format like this one then you will definitely improve your chances of being successful in the applications that you make.
Want more CV advice? Visit our How To Write A CV page.
Good Luck job hunters!
Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook for business insights, interview tips, advice and career opportunities.
