It is really important that you start creating a CV now so that you have a template to continue adding information to it over the next few years. You will need a CV when applying for future education opportunities and jobs.
What is a CV?
A CV is your first chance to promote yourself to an employer. A good CV will get you to an interview. Use it to apply for advertised jobs, or to introduce yourself to employers you’d like to work for. They may have unadvertised vacancies.
Follow these simple steps to create your own CV:
Step 1: CONTACT DETAILS
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Leave out details like your age, date of birth, marital status and nationality. These are not required.
Add a link to your Globalbridge profile if you have made one.
| Step 2: PERSONAL PROFILE
This is a few short lines that sum up who you are and what you hope to do. Think about the job you want and what the employer is looking for. Make your profile sound like you’re the right person for the job. Include a couple of sentences about the skills and qualities which make you suitable for the post/course and give examples:
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| Step 3: YOUR EDUCATION HISTORY
This section can be added after your personal profile when you’re early on in your career or if you do not have much work experience. Whatever order you choose, you’ll need to give:
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| Step 4: YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE HISTORY
Include work placements, volunteering and any paid jobs you’ve held. You’ll need to give details of:
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If you’re applying for your first job, you can focus on skills you’ve learned through projects, part-time work, school work experience, internships, placements or volunteering.
| Step 5: HOBBIES, INTERESTS, ACHIEVEMENTS
Use examples that show you have skills that are relevant to the job. This section is useful if you do not have much work experience. |
Once you have completed your CV, make sure that the format is professional. Here is an example:
You can create your CV as a Word Document.
Alternatively, Barclays Lifeskills have a CV-making tool that you can use to help you create a professional looking CV.
Read this interesting article from Barclays Lifeskills about the most common CV mistakes. Have you avoided these?
