CVs and covering letters
There are three common types of CV which can be adopted or amended as you see fit, these are shown below. Choose the style that best highlights your relevant skills and experience (based on the specific job/company requirements).
If you are emailing your CV or uploading it to an online database:
For examples of CVs aimed at the creative sector, see the Creative CV Guide.
This is the traditional CV format which directly links your education, work experience, achievements and interests to your relevant skills. Experiences are listed in reverse chronological order (i.e. your most recent studies and jobs are shown first).
This format is particularly effective if you have relevant experience because it highlights:
See the sample chronological CV.
In this type of CV you briefly list your education, work experience, achievements and interests in one section and outline your relevant skills in a separate ‘skills profile’.
CVs with well-targeted skills profiles are particularly effective when:
This is because your skills profile shows that you have addressed the needs of the employer and you have gained all the transferrable skills required.
See the sample skills-based CV.
If you are looking for a research role you should demonstrate your relevant academic knowledge and achievements. Your headings could be:
Have a look at the academic CV.
Remember - your research interests should be comprehensible to people outside your field but scholarly enough to interest fellow researchers.
Do not neglect your transferable skills and always use a professional layout. Academic employers want academic staff who are motivated team players, and can manage projects, bring in funding and communicate concisely and professionally.
For further information on marketing a PhD effectively, see your PhD, what next? If you are a postgraduate but not looking for an academic career, your CV should follow an alternative layout.
Secure that job interview with a new CV by Prime Candidate, one of the UK's leading graduate CV writing organisations.
Or get quick, useful feedback on your existing CV.
Your CV is a great chance to prove that you have the specific skills and experience required by an employer. To promote yourself effectively, identify the skills required in the vacancy and provide evidence of you having them.
For example, you could prove your teamwork skills by describing a specific activity at university and outlining how you:
Listened to colleagues, encouraged them and responsibly carried out my personal role, resulting in a mark of 71% and a business recommendation.
You should use positive power words and any headings you want to promote your specific skills and experiences - here are some of the headings you should consider:
This is usually the first heading on a CV and you should keep it short.
Provide details of your education going back to your GCSEs (or equivalent). For each school, further education and higher education institution you have attended (or are attending), list the following:
Summarise GCSEs, but promote your recent education and training more fully. Relate your degree(s) to the job you are going for. For example, you could list relevant modules, outline related projects and/or promote the skills you have gained.
All work experience counts, whether paid, voluntary or shadowing (working alongside someone for a short time to see what their job is like). Outline your responsibilities and achievements that were/are relevant to the job you are seeking. Provide more information for recent and relevant roles. Some experience can be grouped together. For example:
Summer 2009: A variety of customer service roles including bar work, waitressing and telesales. Developed an awareness of customer relationship management and improved my teamwork skills whilst working with challenging customers in high pressure environments.
Choose one of these headings to outline extracurricular accomplishments which demonstrate your personal initiative and career motivation. Briefly describe what you have done, how you have succeeded and the relevant skills you have gained. For example:
As president of the university karate club I organise regular meetings to discuss possible events and successfully collaborate with a wide range of people including undergraduates, postgraduates, administrators, senior academics and sponsors.
You can either provide the contact details of two referees or tell the employer that your references are ‘available upon request’. One of your referees should be work-related, e.g. a manager at work, and one should be an academic at university - most people use their personal tutor.
You can also create any other headings which highlight your particular attributes for the specific job. Some options are shown below.
This is a short (three/four line) summary of your relevant attributes and specific career aims. Well targeted profiles can attract attention but general statements often create a bad impression.
Follow these rules:
For example:
Pro-active marketing graduate with over three years' experience organising and publicising successful events. Created a popular marketing campaign during internship with Virgin Airlines. Looking for a challenging and creative marketing position in the airline industry.
If you have a wide range of employment experience, you may want to highlight your most relevant work history under a ‘Relevant experience’ heading and list your other jobs in an ‘Additional experience’ section.
You may want to include any number of additional headings such as: ‘Career summary’, ‘Technical skills’, ‘Publications’, ‘Additional skills’ and ‘Accountancy experience’ (if relevant to the job role).
It should be easy to scan your CV and see your key skills and experiences. To do this effectively:
To create a good impression:
Ask a careers adviser for further help and feedback.
Secure that job interview with a new CV by Prime Candidate, one of the UK's leading graduate CV writing organisations.
Or get quick, useful feedback on your existing CV.
Whenever possible, send a covering letter with your CV which demonstrates your motivation, commitment and relevant skills.
When applying by email, add the letter as an attachment.
Use the following format as a guide for your letter. You may also want to include an extra paragraph to explain any personal circumstances or anomalies such as low grades or a career change.
Legally, you do not have to declare your disability before you start a new job, but failure to do so on an application or medical form, when you are specifically asked, could give rise to dismissal later on.
If you decide to disclose, stress your positive attributes and outline the benefits of your disability, for example:
In your covering letter you could also give examples of how you have successfully dealt with challenges in the past brought on by your disability.
Your disability could also give you access to reasonable adjustments to your role and workplace adaptations (for which the employer may be funded).
More information can be found at equal opportunities.
Tweet