Getting ready to create your CV

Getting ready to create your CV

Create your long list of all your experience, achievements and key dates. Transferable skills are developed and demonstrated in diverse situations, so include:

• Educational achievements, prizes, awards.
• Voluntary, paid and unpaid work experience.
• Involvement in societies, sports and clubs.
• Additional interests and skills (for example, languages; IT skills; music).

For each application, identify the skills and competencies required and update your CV accordingly.

There are four key characteristics of CVs that work well:

1. Relevance
   • Content is relevant to the position applied for – this is not a list of everything that you’ve done.
   • Content highlights your personal contribution.

2. Clarity
   • A well laid-out CV is inviting to read and easy to scan quickly.
   • Use simple language – avoid jargon, acronyms and technical details that may not be understood or provide too much detail.

3. Evidence-based
   • Use numbers, percentages and values to quantify impact and give a sense of scale to actions.
   • Avoid unsupported assertions or opinions.

4. Brevity
   • Use bullet points to package information succinctly.
   • Avoid too much context, excessive detail or unfocused material that will dilute the impact of your most relevant messages.

Creative CVs

If you are applying for a ‘creative’ role, in advertising or design for example, they may look favourably upon an infographic or otherwise visually unusual CV.

Academic CVs

There is no upper limit on the number of pages expected in a CV for an academic post. Information should still be relevant, brief, evidence based and clearly presented. If applying for a postdoc, fellowship, lectureship or research assistant post, make sure your CV has:

• Sections for professional memberships, publications, and conference presentations/posters.
• A focus on areas specific to academia, such as research experience, teaching experience and any university/ college administration or committee work.
• Details of successful bids for awards, grants and collaborations.
• Referee details – usually three – ideally academics who both know you and are recognised in your field.

Final checks

• Always check carefully for errors and typos – many recruiters dismiss well qualified candidates if there is even one typo in the CV, cover letter or application form!
• Check for jargon and acronyms, and over-long bullets.
• Is it the right length?