CVs

Applying for graduate jobs, placements, other work experience or further study? It’s highly
likely that you’ll need to produce a CV (curriculum vitae). In simple terms, a CV is a summary
of your academic and work history but most importantly, it should be a carefully crafted
personal marketing tool.

Employers sift through hundreds of CVs and many of them get rejected immediately
because they don’t follow basic principles. Follow the links below for essential guidelines,
useful examples and further CV writing resources.

CV Guidelines
Key Points

 Guidelines, not templates: there are no rules to creating a great CV, just a set of guidelines
to help you design professional documents. You have a unique set of skills and experience
to offer an employer so, rather than using a template, it’s better to design your own CV to
market yourself effectively and ensure that you stand out from the crowd
 Customise your CV for each application: different employers and occupations will require
different combinations of skills and abilities. Take time to research the organisation and the
role you are interested in. You can then match your skills/competencies and experience to
those required and adjust your CV content accordingly. Explore your own competencies and
draft examples of them for use in your CV and applications - you could also adapt this
evidence for interviews.
 UK CV style: these guidelines are for writing CVs to use for job-hunting in the UK; if you are
job-hunting in other countries you can get relevant CV advice from Going Global
(http://www1.aston.ac.uk/current-students/careers-centre/students-
graduates/information-resources/online-resources/) and I-Agora (www.iagora.com)

Format

 Length: Most students and recent graduate CVs are 2 sides of A4, although some
organisations (e.g. Investments Banks and the Creative Industries like 1 page CVs and
academic CVs tend to be at least 3 pages to include information such as research
publications and awards
 Font: Try to use a relatively standard font (e.g. Tahoma, Verdana) that will print clearly. For
the main text, font size 11 or 12 is ideal or possibly size 10 if space is tight. Headings benefit
from being in a larger font size. Use bold to highlight key headings and sub-headings
 Language: Ensure 100% accuracy for spelling, grammar and punctuation and check that you
are computer dictionary is set to UK not US English. Proofread your CV twice and get
someone else to check it too, rather than relying on your computer’s spell-checker

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  Paper/Hard copy versions: If you decide to print copies of your CV for use at recruitment
fairs or to post; ensure you print on A4 white or cream paper, 90-100g weight is
preferable. Always remember to number your pages when using hard copy
 Margins: Reduce the size of the margins if you are struggling for space, however try to keep
them at least 1.27cm which is the standard minimum for a smart cv

Content

The recommendations below refer to a ‘Reverse Chronological CV’; a traditional CV, used by most
and usually the most appropriate style for students and recent graduates. It presents readers with a
clear timeline of your skills, competencies and experiences. See CV examples below.

CV heading:CV is headed with your name not Curriculum Vitae (employers will know what it is)

Personal details section: Keep this section short and simple – your address, mobile number and
email address are the most important things to include. You may wish to include your term time
address as well as home address if this is relevant

Personal profile section (optional):

 Often best to avoid unless you have substantial relevant experience to highlight
 Space saved can be better used for other information about yourself in another section
 If including, best to be concise, factual and don’t repeat covering letter content
 Useful if placing a CV on jobs boards where you can’t add covering letters

Education section

 Start with your current course and working backwards chronologically

 Give start and end dates for each institution attended; the years are sufficient, no need to
include months as the academic year doesn’t change
 Full title of courses with information
 Optional: actual or expected degree classification
 Focus on modules, courses and/or skills and competencies developed most relevant to
application
 Brief details of your project or dissertation if relevant
 If you’ve been on a placement year, mention this and refer to full details in your work
experience
 Summarise pre-degree qualifications
 No need to list every GCSE, just the number including Maths and English Language (with
grades in brackets)

Employment section

 Include paid work, work shadowing and voluntary work here if you choose (or alternatively
you can group voluntary work in its own section if you want to emphasise that the
experiences were ‘voluntary’)
 Start with your most recent experience and work backwards chronologically
 Include job title, company worked for, basic location (not full address) and dates of
employment - month and year is fine (e.g. Sept 2010 – June 2011) rather than specific
calendar dates

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  Is your most relevant experience featured prominently? If necessary split your Employment
into two separate sections to ensure this; for example if you are applying for pharmacy roles
but your most recent job isn’t pharmacy related, you could have a ‘Pharmacy Employment’
section and then ‘General Employment
 Avoid merely listing duties and responsibilities; try to convey what you did, your key
achievements and skills and competencies used
 Use concise bullet points rather than lengthy paragraphs of text so that busy employers can
speed read your CV without missing key points
 Use 'active verbs' to highlight your positive qualities e.g. initiated, led, created, produced,
organised
 See the CV Action Words Leaflet (http://www1.aston.ac.uk/current-students/careers-
centre/students-graduates/information-resources/information-leaflets/) for more ideas
 If you have a considerable number of work experiences, don’t feel as though you have to
include every single one – employers will usually be most interested in work experiences
gained within the last 4-5 years and related to the job you’re applying for

Specific skills

 Include ‘hard’ skills here e.g. IT, foreign language ability and holding a driving licence
 State your level of competence, for example: IT: highly competent in MS Office Word,
PowerPoint and Excel, used for degree assignments and placement reports or Languages:
fluent in Gujarati and Hindi, basic/conversational French

Achievements section (optional)

 Great section to include if you have been involved in extra-curricular activities, sports,
voluntary or community work, especially during the last 3 or 4 years
 Highlight positions of responsibility such as being a Student Year Rep, a Peer Mentor or a
Committee member such as a Chair or Treasurer
 Clearly indicate the name of the activity/role/achievement, the year(s) you were involved
and a short description of what you did, key achievements and evidence of skills
 It’s often a good idea to combine this section with the Interests section below

Interests section (optional)

Keep this section fairly brief but do try to make your interests sounds interesting, for example
instead of just stating you like reading, be specific about the type of genre of books you particularly
enjoy. Overall, use this section as an opportunity to show employers your personality and possibly
further evidence of your skills and abilities

References

 Put “References available on request” if you are running out of space or sending your CV to
recruitment agencies/posting online and want to protect your referees’ privacy; otherwise,
give details of two referees, ideally one academic and one employment related
 Ensure that you have permission to include referee details before you send them to
prospective employers
 Referee details should include their name, job title, context known, address, phone and
email

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CV Examples

Reverse Chronological CV

This is a traditional CV, used by most and usually the most appropriate style for students and
graduates. It presents readers with a clear timeline of your skills, competencies and experiences.

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Alternative CV styles:

Skills Based CV

This is not recommended for the average undergraduate but can sometimes be suitable for people
with more experience who wish to change career direction and see focus shifted from their degree
or previous roles. Skills based CVs can also be used to stand out from the crowd but they are tricky
to write well so do consider this type of CV carefully.

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Combination CV

The Combination CV mixes elements of the reverse chronological and skills-based CV. They can be
effective if the applicant has a lot of relevant experience but there is potential for repetition
especially between the employment and skills sections and evidence of your skills may be clearer if it
is included within the relevant employment, education or achievements section.

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Academic CV - usually contain different sections from traditional CVs which enable you to promote relevant
research experience.

Visit: http://www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/1373/Academic-CVs.html?Academic%20CV%20Example

CV Resources
Competencies Unraveled (http://www1.aston.ac.uk/current-students/careers-centre/students-
graduates/information-resources/information-leaflets/) An invaluable guide to the competencies
used in recruitment, useful for writing CVs tailored to particular vacancies

CV Action Words Leaflet (http://www1.aston.ac.uk/current-students/careers-centre/students-

graduates/information-resources/information-leaflets/) 501 words to use in CVs and applications

Researching Employers (http://www1.aston.ac.uk/current-students/careers-centre/students-

graduates/choosing-a-career/employability-skills/researching-
employers/?researching%20employers) This page includes signposts to Industry and career sector
guides, employer review sites, labour market Information, employer directories, career publications,
business resources and regional Information to aid your research.

Covering Letter Leaflet (http://www1.aston.ac.uk/current-students/careers-centre/students-

graduates/information-resources/information-leaflets/) CVs should nearly always be accompanied
by a Covering Letter and a well-written one can distinguish you from someone else with a very
similar CV and background

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Graduate Prospects (http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cvs.htm?CV%20advice%20from%20Prospects)
CVs and Covering Letters information and examples

Target Jobs (http://targetjobs.co.uk/) applications and CVs information and examples

How to Write a CV
(http://www.careers.lon.ac.uk/files/pdf/How_to_write_CV.pdf?how%20to%20write%20a%20cv)
Access the full version of the useful booklet written by Kate Murray of the Careers Group, London

Examples of Creative CVs (http://blogof.francescomugnai.com/2008/09/the-20-most-creative-

resumes-ive-seen-in-a-long-time-pure-inspiration/?creative%20cvs) there are no firm rules on
whether it is advisable to send a ‘creative’ CV for a creative job but here are some examples of some
quirky alternative CVs and clever uses of info graphics

© Aston University Careers 2012

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